No one would blame you if you tossed your cookies when you heard the news that Josh Johnson was traveling to Alabama Wednesday to see Dr. Andrews for a second opinion on his sore pitching shoulder. It's common knowledge that athletes who enter the good doctor's office rarely leave without a season-ending incision of some sort. Andrews loves nothing more than using his scalpel to carve up the appendages of star athletes, so you were not alone if your heart sank to your toes at the news and visions of losing Josh for the remainder of the season hammered a final nail in the coffin of 2011.
Well, relax. Breathe. Put the handful of pills back in the bottle. Back on up off the edge of that cliff. Dr. Andrews examined the Marlins' ace and declared that the MRI showed no structural damage.
It seems that JJ has tendonitis. Of course, Doc Andrews couldn't let Josh escape that easily and deny him the pleasure of puncturing flesh, so he plunged a needle into the All Star pitching shoulder and injected some cortisone.
Josh's July 13th return is now unlikely, as he is on no-throw status for 10 days. But hey, Fish fans can rest a bit easier with the news that whatever is ailing the team's ace won't require anesthesia and stitches.
This is good news.