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According to multiple reports tonight, 29-year-old Washington Nationals’ outfielder fielder Adam Eaton underwent arthroscopic surgery, “... to remove a flap of cartilage on his ankle,” as MASN’s Mark Zuckerman noted on Twitter tonight.
Eaton injured the ankle on an awkward slide at home plate earlier this season after spraining it in late April of 2017 when he tore the ACL and meniscus in his left knee as he stumbled at first base running out a grounder.
Washington Post writer Chelsea Janes reported yesterday that Eaton traveled to Green Bay, WI to, “... seek a second opinion on his ailing left ankle from renowned orthopedic surgeon Robert Anderson,” when the issue persisted and wasn’t getting any better after a month of rest and rehab.
Eaton got off to a hot start in his second season in D.C. following the trade that brought him to Washington from the Chicago White Sox.
Eaton went 10 for 29 (.345/.424/.655) in the eight games he did play before re-injuring the ankle and landing back on the Disabled List.
Davey Martinez told reporters last month that they weren’t going to bring Eaton back until he was 100%.
“When we get him back this time, we don’t want any issues, we want him to go out there and play and not worry about anything,” the manager explained. Eaton was spotted in a boot soon after those comments, however, and no timetable was given for his return as he worked to get back.
GM Mike Rizzo, who updated reporters on Eaton’s status tonight, couldn’t offer a timetable for his recovery from the latest surgery either.
Eaton got three opinions on his ankle, two MRIs and a bone scan. None showed the cartilage flap. Required the arthroscopic surgery by doctor in Green Bay to find the injury.
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) May 10, 2018
Because none of three doctors could see a reason for paint on MRIs and bone scans, Adam Eaton underwent arthroscopic surgery today in Wisconsin. They discovered a chondral flap problem (cartilage tear, basically), and removed it. That would explain all the pain he had.
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) May 10, 2018
No timetable. He’ll be immobilized for a week. Then they’ll start getting him back. https://t.co/yGnZ2AOtRG
— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) May 10, 2018
What the doctors found explains why Eaton kept having persistent pain in the ankle when trying to ramp up. GM Mike Rizzo says doctors told him the surgery went great. The ankle is stable. Now Eaton can get healthy and work back.
— Dan Kolko (@masnKolko) May 10, 2018
It’s another setback for Eaton, who played in 23 games last season after he was acquired in a 3-for-1 trade that sent prospects Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning to the White Sox.
As Zuckerman noted on Twitter tonight, the Nationals, “... don’t believe this had anything to do with last year’s ACL tear and ankle sprain,” and think it happened on the play at the plate in April.
More information when it’s available...