Shoulder injury & impact on recruiting

My son went through the exact same scenario during his HS junior year. Until you know the extent of his injury it will be hard to determine the impact it may or may not have with the recruiters.

 

First, let's hope it's just an impingement(or less).  If that's the case then it probably won't be a serious concern for recruiters.  The good news is your son is already on the radar so missing some HS time isn't the end of the world.  In my son's case he missed the whole high school season on the mound. After a lot of rehab he was able to come back in June for a couple events and showed he had recovered...he was rusty however the recruiters/scouts could see he still had his stuff.  Once the schools were able to see him again the official offers were made and a NLI was signed.

 

Every scenario is different however this injury doesn't mean he can't pick up right where he left off.  The hardest thing during the down time was the mental aspect of the injury.  They fear the worse, make sure he knows that recruiters are used to injuries, there are very few pitchers that don't have some type of set back at one point or another. Hopefully it's not serious and he can get back out there when it matters (summer ball).  

 

Best of luck, hoping for good news from his Ortho.

 

Dad,

I think jerseydad has really provided a wonderful guideline.  You have taken the right step by getting an orthopedic evaluation.  The very first issue is to have the right diagnosis and confirmation on the right diagnosis. Diagnosis on shoulders can be less than precise.  Once that is in place, and don't be bashful about getting a 2nd opinion from someone like Dr Andrews, better plans can be made for the recovery and to assess how this might impact the recruiting aspect.

jerseydad made a very insightful comment on the mental side.  This can be a challenging time for your son, mentally and emotionally.  As his parent, it can be pretty important to support him and one way is to remove the college/recruiting angle all together.  If our son's are rehabbing and not playing, they look on the field and can see they are staying in one place while others are, perhaps, in our son's eyes, moving beyond them, or at least doing what they want to be doing.

In MLB and MILB, players get taught to focus only on what they can control.  In my view, this is a concept which players and especially parents would be well off to understand at a much earlier age. Right now, the only aspects you and your son can control is getting the medical assessment, the right diagnosis, and the proper treatment and recovery plan in place.

There is just no way to control how college coaches respond, react, or don't. My perspective is to help your son focus on the physical and mental side of getting through this challenge and on the path toward recovery.  Once he and you are toward the end of that path, you can begin back on the recruiting pathway.

Good Luck to your son. I hope he and you get good news on the shoulder.

2013 had shoulder instability / overuse from Jr. year in H.S. Went to PT. Sr. year, early in season, while pitching well, felt elbow pop. Shut down pitching, DH'd remainder or season. Tommy John surgery that summer. Still recruited as a Pitcher in College. Red shirting and rehabing Freshman year. Began having probs with shoulder. MRA...no labrum tear, which we have been told is harder to come back from, than TJ. Continued altered rehab.  Going to have bone spur removed from shoulder surgery. May extend rehab time. Told that he had probably been compensating his shoulder issue, for some time, which likely eventually created his elbow issue / injury. Has learned the hard way, that he has to always level with Coaches, Trainers, PT Therapists,  and Doctors.  Or, it will come back to bite him eventually. Playing thru pain, because you want to be out there, fear of loosing starting spot, letting your team down...just isn't smart Baseball.  Also,  attending an invitation only showcase or event, under those hidden conditions...can lead to disaster. Basically, if something is feeling off, acknowledge it, share it, deal with it now!