Joel Zumaya recovers from his famous elbow injury – MLB News
Joel Zumaya had a tough time in 2011 as he missed the entire season due to health and fitness related issues. The right handed closer displayed some high quality pitching skills in his five years tenure with Detroit Tigers, helping his team secure memorable
wins.
Looking to make a strong come back to Major League Baseball, the injury troubled reliever has been in talks with multi clubs for the last few months. According to a leading baseball website, Zumaya has agreed to a renewable one year $ 800,000 deal with Minnesota
Twins.
"We had multiple teams talking. That's why I waited this long. That's where I'm gonna be," Zumaya said in a phone interview. "I'm going to be seeing Detroit a lot," said Zumaya in an interview.
"The way people reacted last night toward my injury and the way they made me feel, especially my teammates, I was breathless," he further added. "I cried in front of 40,000 people [which] was pretty weak. I was in a lot of pain and I felt like I had no one
on my side.”
Although the Twins haven’t confirmed the deal as yet, they said they have been in negotiations with the closer since December last season. Zumaya is also expected to get incentives if he can live to his immense potential in the season starting in couple
of months.
A year and a half ago, Zumaya suffered from a severe elbow/arm injury. He was in so much pain that his team mates assisted him get off the field. After undergoing a scan on his elbow, it was revealed that he had a fracture.
For Twins, the moved could pay dividends. Zumaya is certainly a low risk signing for them as he comes incredibly cheap ($ 800,000).
From 2008-2009, Zumaya looked in prime form as he had 44 walks in 54.1 innings. If he can stay healthy and fit for the full season, the Twins will get a huge return on their investment. Zumaya, on the other hand, is expected to train hard and participate
in Triple A league before he returns to Majors.
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