Dylan Bundy decided to get a second opinion on his right forearm today from renowned orthopedic specialist Dr. James Andrews.
Bundy threw on flat ground from 90 feet yesterday and still felt discomfort in the forearm, near his elbow, which led to his visit with Andrews. The Orioles supported Bundy's request to get the second opinion.
An MRI taken on Bundy's right elbow came back clean. He will likely undergo another MRI today.
Manager Buck Showalter said the forearm stiffness didn't become apparent until Bundy was optioned to Double-A Bowie.
"Dylan Bundy requested a second opinion," Showalter told reporters this afternoon. "He threw at 90 feet on Monday. It still doesn't feel just right, so he went to see Dr. Andrews in Gulf Breeze, Fla., just to get a second opinion on what we think we're dealing with. We'll get something back and we hope to find out that (Andrews) feels the same way that our people do who have looked at it.
"He still feels some discomfort there, but he took his MRI and everything with him, I'm sure. I don't know whether Dr. Andrews will take another one or not. We're very supportive of it."
Asked what caused the stiffness in Bundy's flexor mass in his forearm, Showalter said, "I don't think there's something definitive on it, from what I understand. It depends on who you ask, who you talk to. We're more interested in getting it resolved right now. But you always look at something like that and say, 'OK, was there something that did cause it?' So you keep it from happening again. You don't just completely move forward and try to get it resolved because you don't want it to happen again."
Bundy and Kevin Gausman are the prized pitching prospects in the organization. Baseball America ranks Bundy as the top pitcher in the minors. For Bundy to still be feeling discomfort and now be examined by Dr. Andrews may send a shiver through the warehouse.
What about the manager's office?
"I don't think shiver," Showalter said. "I shivered last night during the game. I look at all the reports on all the people down there. It's a daily thing, whether it's Brian Roberts or (Tsuyoshi) Wada or (Wilson) Betemit or Dylan, anybody who's got a chance to impact us fairly soon. But I try to take it for what it is right now.
"He wanted to get a second opinion just to be sure because he hoped it would resolve quicker than this. He threw at 90 feet yesterday and felt it somewhat, from what I understand. I don't have all the information. I'm just going by what the report says, clinically speaking, the way they talk. But I haven't heard anything that would make me think anything differently. When Dr. Andrews weighs back in, I'll tell you that, just like I get the report and I tell you all. I'm not going to hide something or disguise it because sooner or later that stuff comes out.
"The way it's described to me is flexor mass. They took an MRI and the elbow looked good. That was why maybe I don't, at this point, feel anything differently yet. I haven't had anything told to me that anything's different."
Bundy was 1-1 with a 1.13 ERA in four exhibition games, including one start. He allowed one earned run (two total) and six hits in eight innings, but he also walked six batters and struck out five.
Bundy, the fourth overall pick in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, allowed one hit and walked one in 1 2/3 innings over two September relief appearances from the Orioles after being recalled from Bowie.
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