Parnell headed to disabled list
Mike Nickeas #13 of the New York Mets congratulates closing pitcher Bobby Parnell #39 after the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. (April 5, 2011) Credit: Getty Images
Mets reliever Bobby Parnell is expected to officially be placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday because of a circulatory issue in his middle finger.
The righthander is scheduled to undergo an angiogram, an X-ray test using special dye and a camera to take pictures of the blood flow in an artery or vein. He said Wednesday team doctors assume he has a blood clot in his arm, given the fact that the numbness "multiplies" when he grips the ball and his middle finger gets cold periodically throughout the day.
Still, Parnell said he and the doctors don't think the injury is anything serious, adding that doctors don't think he has an aneurysm. "So after the test tomorrow, hopefully I'll go on an aspirin diet for a couple days and be back to new."
When Terry Collins managed the Houston Astros in 1995, closer John Hudek had numbness, tingling and weakness in his right arm. He learned one of his ribs was putting pressure on a vein and cutting off circulation in his arm. The rib was removed.
Parnell said team doctors didn't say anything to him about an aneurysm. But he's scared nonetheless. "To have something like this is concerning because I don't know much about it," he said. "But they say that other pitchers have had it and it's not uncommon . . . They've seen it before, which makes me feel better about it."
Collins said Jason Isringhausen will be the team's new eighth-inning man.
Extra bases
Chris Young will throw a simulated game Thursday and a full bullpen session Saturday in preparation for his return next week. The righthander was put on the 15-day DL April 16 with biceps tendinitis . . . Pat Misch cleared waivers and accepted his assignment to Triple-A Buffalo. . . . Blaine Boyer signed a minor-league deal with Pittsburgh. He was designated for assignment on April 10.
