From today’s DDN:
As for Szymanski, he’s scheduled for a right knee operation Monday and will be on the disabled list for two to four weeks. Taking his place on the Dragons’ roster will be catcher John Purdom, who has been with the Dragons since Opening Day, but on the disabled list.
“It was pretty good news,” said Szymanski, who saw the Reds’ Dr. Tim Kremchek earlier in the day. He hurt the knee doing calisthenics Tuesday.
“It’s just a bone chip that has to come out. My right knee has never been as good as my left knee, but I never missed a single game in any sport because of it. I took batting practice on Tuesday and then did some jogging. Nothing bothered me. Then I did some high knees (an exercise lifting the knees to about waist level) and it got stiff.”
Szymanski, who played in all four games to start the season in South Bend, Ind., was hitting .250 with a double and scored three runs. He was the Reds No. 2 pick in last summer’s free agent draft and signed even though he had another year at Princeton, where he was a receiver on the football team.
Ivy League rules prohibit athletes from participating in athletics in school if they have signed a pro contract in another sport.
“I’ve played football all my life and never missed more than a single game,” Szymanski said. “My sophomore year in college I hurt my right shoulder. They said I’d miss five weeks. I missed one game. Now I’m playing the least impact sport except for golf, and I’ve had two injuries.”
Last year, while he was playing at Billings, Mont., Szymanski tore the quad muscle in his right leg after playing in 22 games.
Dragons manager Alonzo Powell knows how he feels.
“Nobody knows what he did (to cause the injury),” Powell said. “Sometimes it’s just nothing. I remember when I was playing in Japan. I was walking down some steps after a game and slipped. I tore the cartilage in my knee and was out four weeks.
“It’s unbelievable how things happen.”
Mark Farnsworth, the head trainer for the Reds’ minor league system, said Szymanski’s injury appeared to be an old one that wasn’t detected until the bone chip just below the femur became dislodged. No other surgery other than the removal of the chip is planned.
“After the surgery, we’ll send him down to (Sarasota) Florida for rehab,” Farnsworth said. “He’ll probably be able to take a few at-bats after a couple of weeks.”