The lack of velocity on Vic Black’s fastball can be explained medically, according to the team.
Black was evaluated at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan on Monday and was diagnosed with a herniated disc in his neck, resulting in right tricep weakness.
The club says the exam revealed an improvement in his condition since his last exam.
Black will undergo therapy and be reexamined in exactly one week.
Black suffered a herniated disc in his neck last summer, but its not clear if this is the same disc which troubled him at that time. In any event, this certainly offers no certainty for Black, when he can return, and whether or not this disc issue will require surgery. Not all of them do, and even herniations which cause nerve problems – such as this one – can be resolved through physical therapy.
Time will tell with Black, but he is clearly not getting back to the Mets any time soon.
Just Mets 