Tony Vitello gives more details on AJ Russell injury, status for Friday
Tennessee baseball coach Tony Vitello gave another injury update on right-handed starting pitcher AJ Russell while appearing on the FOX Sports Knoxville radio show The Drive Monday evening.
The sophomore was removed from his Friday night start against Albany after three scoreless innings of 54 pitches. While giving an answer to a previous question, the skipper stumbled into the current situation of a sidelined pitcher and the need for someone to step up in his place.
“And now this year, AJ Russell is a little sore. If it was May, I’d be lying to you if I said I was excited. I would be a little bummed,” the coach said on the radio interview. “But because it’s this early in the year, I’m excited about AJ Russell not gobbling up five or six innings this weekend because that means five or six more [innings] are up for grabs. Who is the next Chad Dallas or maybe Drew Beam?”
It certainly feels like from that answer that Russell will not be pitching this Friday for his next scheduled start against Bowling Green. In what was deemed as ‘soreness’ over the weekend, Vitello goes into a little more detail on the nature of the injury for his No. 1 starter during his radio appearance.
“It was kind of weird and they did explain it to me in doctor’s terms, which made it even weirder,” the coach laughed. “It was more kind of on his side or his torso – stemming all the way up to his armpit. It was something kind of unique and really just attributed it to a guy that young – he doesn’t have a very long track record of being at this weight and throwing at this velocity. So, it’s new to his body.
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“I’m not a scientist or a doctor, but I’ve seen this before where this is a strain or stress there. Really his body is evolving and something new is going on.”
Here’s what Vitello said on Russell following Sunday’s sweep of the Great Danes where he insinuates the staff will take every precaution this early in the campaign.
“But we’re going to be conservative with him and give him a few days,” the coach said. “So, I don’t know if that means he’ll miss this weekend but he’s certainly going to not be at his pitch count for a couple weeks.”
Tennessee returns to the field for midweek action Tuesday afternoon at 4:30 pm eastern time against High Point. It is not yet known who would start in Russell’s place on Friday if he is indeed ruled out.
