It could've been a clash of the titans in the MLB 2024 season when the New York Yankees hosts the Los Angeles Dodgers for a three-games series.
The two franchises lead their respective divisions. The Yankees are atop the American League East, while the Dodgers rule the National League West.
Fireworks are expected in this series, but New York is missing Juan Soto, at least in the opener, after it was discovered that he has elbow inflammation.
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The injury was discovered after the player had an MRI on his left forearm last Friday.
In his first season with the Yankees, Soto was sensational, batting .318 with 17 home runs and 53 RBIs, which helped put his team at the top with a league-best record of 45-19.
He said the injury has been bothering him since the end of last month.
"I actually just woke up one day, felt the tightness and discomfort in my forearm," Soto told reporters.
"We've been working on it, and we've been trying to get away with it and it hasn't gone out."
He would not be gone for a while, though.
The team was wary of structural damage, but the MRI showed something milder.
According to manager Aaron Boone, the most probable time he could return is the weekend, as he was already scratched from the series opener.
Juan Soto injury recovery timeline
An elbow inflammation is commonly incurred because of heavy and overly physical jobs and elbow overuse, such as batters and outfielders in baseball. Tennis players also suffer from this injury.
In the worst-case scenario, its symptoms can take up to three weeks to heal.
At some point, the patient will need to put the affected elbow in a brace to prevent it from constantly moving, or else he will risk aggravation.
This can be shortened, though, through injections or anti-inflammatory treatment. The latter was given to Soto, suggesting there's not much to worry about regarding his availability in the next few games.
The team already plotted his rehabilitation.
"Once he gets hot and going and they work on him, the hitting and throwing in the games have been fine," Boone said ahead of their game against the Dodgers.
"It's been getting to that point, then waking up the next morning kind of sore, [with] different movements [feeling] kind of stiff."
Soto is playing at an All-Star level in his first year with the Yankees, and the team is optimistic they can keep him around longer.
Reports from last month revealed that the two camps are already in preliminary discussions about a massive contract extension.
The 25-year-old outfielder joined the Yankees at the start of the season from a trade by the San Diego Padres.
He signed a one-year deal worth $31 million and is on a mission to prove that he is worth a huge deal.
Before going down with injury, he was named AL Player of the Week for the second time this season with a .435/.500/1.000 stat.
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