Matt Treanor News

Sunday, April 26, 2009
Tigers put Matt Treanor on DL
Lynn Henning / The Detroit News

Kansas City, Mo. -- Tigers backup catcher Matt Treanor is on the 15-day disabled list and is expected to be lost for at least three months because of surgery to repair a nagging problem with his left hip labrum.

The Tigers called up catcher Dane Sardinha from Triple-A Toledo to replace Treanor, 33, who formerly played for the Florida Marlins before signing with the Tigers during the off-season.

"It's just sad for Matt," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said, speaking before Sunday's game between the Tigers and Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. "He's like all players. He just wants to play. But it's not getting any better."

Treanor had surgery last October for the three tears in his hip but was given an all-clear ahead of spring camp. Although he had no serious setbacks during the Grapefruit League season, he has been increasingly bothered by pain in the same area and surgery is now expected as early as this week after he confers with doctors.

"The ideal situation would be to get back in late July or early August," Treanor said Sunday, a day after he met for "serious" discussions with Leyland, and Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski.

"Yesterday I had my little emotional day," Treanor said. "Now it's time to move and to think about getting better and getting back into shape. I see a lot of good things happening with this club. But Mr. Leyland didn't like seeing me in pain."

Sardinha, 30, played in 17 games for the Tigers in 2008 and batted .229 with one triple and three RBIs.

"I really like Sardinha," Leyland said. "He's an excellent catcher. I don't expect a lot of offense, but I'm not sure anybody expects much offense from a backup catcher."

Treanor appeared in four games for the Tigers. He was hitless in 13 at-bats.

Backup Treanor to miss rest of season
Surgery reveals right hip issue to be worse than thought

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

05/02/09 4:25 PM ET

DETROIT -- What was already expected to be a long injury for Tigers backup catcher Matt Treanor now will likely cost him the rest of the season. On Thursday, Treanor underwent successful surgery to remove a bone spur from his right hip, an issue that bothered him since Spring Training.

Dr. Bryan Kelly, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in hip injuries, performed the surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. The estimated timetable from the Tigers' medical staff is expected to keep him out for the year.

If that indeed ends up the case, Treanor will finish the season with four games played, going 0-for-13 with four strikeouts. He served as the starting catcher for Rick Porcello's Major League debut April 9 at Toronto.

The Tigers signed the 33-year-old Treanor to a one-year, $750,000 contract last December to provide a veteran backup for newly acquired starter Gerald Laird and allow prospect Dusty Ryan to get more seasoning in the Minor Leagues. Treanor spent the previous five seasons with the Marlins, but was non-tendered over the winter.

Treanor underwent sports hernia surgery at the end of last season to repair muscle tears around his left hip, but reported to Spring Training supposedly in playing shape. His right hip issues developed in camp, but he tried to play through them. His struggles to do so landed him on the disabled list last weekend.

The surgery continues a three-year string of misfortunes for backup catchers in Detroit. Vance Wilson missed the 2007 and 2008 seasons with two Tommy John surgeries to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow. Minor Leaguer Mike Rabelo replaced Wilson in 2007 before being dealt to Florida in the Miguel Cabrera trade. Brandon Inge, a former catcher turned infielder, donned the catching gear again last year.

The longer absence for Treanor isn't expected to affect how the Tigers replace him. Minor League veteran Dane Sardinha, who was called up when Treanor went on the DL last weekend, is expected to remain the backup to Laird. The 30-year-old Sardinha made it to Detroit last summer and caught 17 games over two stints. While he'll never be known for his offense, his knowledge of the Tigers' pitching staff from his two-plus seasons at Triple-A Toledo is seen as a significant advantage.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

I wish Sardinha had a bat, it would make his game that much better and he could be a premier catcher.

gdennis59 wrote:

I wish Sardinha had a bat, it would make his game that much better and he could be a premier catcher.

He doubled today!

He better do it more often!

Treanor to return this season?
BECK'S BLOG

Just got done talking with Matt Treanor, who's back in the Tiger clubhouse but moving around on crutches after his hip surgery last Thursday. He said the likelihood that he'll miss the season is news to him.

"I'm going to go about it as if I have an opportunity to play again this season," Treanor said.

Treanor said he talked after the surgery with the specialist, Dr. Bryan Kelly. He's going to get some opinions on the timetable coming up. If it sounds certain that he'll miss the season, he'll probably go home to rehab, but that he'd like to stick around Detroit when the team's in town if he has a shot at a comeback.

Posted on May 4, 2009 at 5:15 PM

Treanor will try to make it back in '09
Catcher not shutting it down for season after hip surgery

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

05/04/09 7:33 PM ET

DETROIT -- Although it was reported that Matt Treanor will miss the rest of the season, the Tigers backup catcher isn't throwing in the towel just yet.

He realizes it's a possibility after his hip surgery last Thursday, but any timetable that will cost him the rest of the year was news to him until he heard it watching Sunday's Tigers game on television. Until he hears it for sure, he's going to work to try to get back.

"I'm going to go about it as if I have an opportunity to get back into shape to play this season," Treanor said.

The season outlook from the Tigers' medical staff is based on the amount of time that Treanor will likely have to miss before he can start working out again. The surgery, Treanor said, was not necessarily worse than expected, because he knew about the bone spur that was causing inflammation in his right hip.

Treanor said he's hoping he can find a way to beat that timetable. In any case, he isn't shutting it down for the season yet. He's going to get medical opinion before he proceeds.

If he has a chance to come back, Treanor is going to give it a shot, and he'd like to stick around the clubhouse when the team's in town. If he's done for the season, he said he'll probably go home for his rehab process.

"To see some guy limping around all the time, that's not always the best for morale," Treanor said. "I'll just check it out and see what's going on."

Treanor overcame an early-season hip injury last year to spend most of the season with the Florida Marlins, playing in 65 games. He signed a one-year contract with the Tigers last December. When he had hip troubles during Spring Training, he tried to play through them, hoping he could get through it.

"I was feeling really decent," Treanor said, "and it went downhill really quick."

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Tigers part ways with Treanor, Thames
Pair likely to become free agents after removal from roster

By Jason Beck / MLB.com

11/06/09 4:53 PM EST

DETROIT -- Marcus Thames' Tigers tenure is likely over. The team removed him from the 40-man roster Friday, the first step towards making the slugging outfielder a free agent.

The move was part of the Tigers' maneuverings to prepare their 40-man roster. Catcher Matt Treanoralso was taken off the roster and will become a free agent. The moves free up spots for reliever Joel Zumaya and infielder Jeff Larish, both of whom were reinstated from the 60-day disabled list as required.

Infield prospect Michael Hollimon also was taken off the DL, but he was outrighted to Triple-A Toledo.

Thames was eligible for arbitration and was thus expected to be non-tendered this offseason. From that standpoint, Friday's move makes him a free agent sooner than he would've been had the Tigers waited until the December deadline to offer a contract. Nonetheless, it likely ends a career that included several big home runs and torrid stretches in the Tigers lineup, though never culminating in the everyday role he would've liked.

The Tigers signed Thames as a Minor League free agent after the 2003 season. He was a former highly-touted prospect with the Yankees, with whom he made his Major League debut by homering off Randy Johnson in his first big league at-bat. He hit 10 home runs in 184 plate appearances in Detroit in 2004, then stuck with the Tigers for good with a 26-homer season in 2006.

From there, he became known for torrid stretches at the plate. He tied a franchise record in 2008 by homering in five straight games, matching a mark shared by Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg, Rudy York, Vic Wertz and Willie Horton. He had a 10-game stretch during that time in which all eight of his hits were home runs, the longest such streak by a Major League player since Mark McGwire's 11 straight home runs in 2001.

Thames seemed set to get a bump in playing time this season once the Tigers released Gary Sheffield at the end of Spring Training. A season-opening slump at the plate and a painful oblique injury in April, however, started him on a year that didn't work out the way he or the Tigers would've liked.

Thames' 13 home runs, 36 RBIs, 258 at-bats and .453 slugging percentage marked his lowest totals since 2005. He batted .252 for the year.

The 32-year-old Thames, as well as the 33-year-old Treanor, will become free agents once they formally notify the Tigers that they will not be accepting outright assignments to the Minor Leagues. They'll immediately be free to sign with any Major League club.

Treanor signed with the Tigers last December to serve as a No. 2 catcher behind Gerald Laird, but played in just four games before undergoing season-ending hip surgery. He's on track to be ready for next season, but the Tigers appear set behind the plate for next year with Laird and top catching prospect Alex Avila.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://twitter.com/AdamMcCalvy/status/6810834908

#Brewers
also signed C Matt Treanor to Minor League deal with invitation to big
league camp. Limited to 4G with #Tigers in '09 by hip injury

04/08/2010 2:49 PM ET
Rangers Place C Jarrod Saltalamacchia on 15-Day Disabled List; Purchase Contract of C Matt Treanor from Oklahoma City (AAA)
RHP Warner Madrigal transferred to 60-day disabled list

The Texas Rangers announced prior to today's game that the club has placed catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia on the 15-day disabled list with upper back stiffness. To take his place on the roster, the club has purchased the contract of catcher Matt Treanor (#15) from Oklahoma City (AAA). To make room for Treanor on the 40-man roster, the team has transferred right-handed pitcher Warner Madrigal from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list.

Saltalamacchia was the Rangers Opening Day catcher on Monday, going 1-for-4 with a game-ending RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning. He struck out as a pinch-hitter in last night's loss. He will be eligible to be reinstated beginning on April 23.

Treanor, 34, was acquired in a March 22 trade with Milwaukee for infielder Ray Olmedo. He finished spring as a non-roster player for the Rangers before he was assigned to the minor leagues when the club set the Opening Day roster on Sunday. As Oklahoma City's season begins today, Treanor last appeared in a game on Saturday vs. Kansas City in Frisco. He also played in Tuesday's contest between the organization's Triple-A and Double-A affiliates at Rangers Ballpark.

Treanor signed with Milwaukee in December and was in Brewers camp as a non-roster invitee. He appeared in 16 total spring training games with the Brewers and Rangers this spring, going 6-for-29 with a homer, double, and 4 RBI. He was with Detroit last year, appearing in just 4 games before undergoing surgery on April 30, 2009 to repair a torn labrum and impingement in his right hip. Treanor has appeared in 278 big league games with Florida (2004-08) and Detroit (2009), batting .232 with 8 home runs and 70 RBI. Originally drafted by Kansas City in the fourth round of the 1994 June draft, he was acquired by Florida in a July 29, 1997 trade for left-hander Matt Whisenant.

Madrigal opened the season on the 15-day disabled list with right forearm inflammation. He had a 9.95 ERA in 13 relief appearances for Texas in 2009.

With these moves, the Rangers still have a full 40-man roster.