Joel Zumaya Has Non-Displaced Fracture of Olecranon, Out for Season

The Tigers announced what many feared Tuesday afternoon. Reliever Joel Zumaya will miss the rest of the 2010 season after suffering a non-displaced fracture of the olecranon, a bone in the elbow, in a win against the Twins on Monday night.

The flame-throwing right-hander was diagnosed with the injury Tuesday morning after X-rays and an MRI.

Zumaya suffered the injury on a fastball thrown during the eighth inning of that game. He immediately grimaced in pain before falling to the ground behind the pitcher's mound and wailing in agony. Television replays showed Zumaya's right hand trembling as he was examined by Detroit's medical staff. He had to be helped off the field, and held his arm tightly to his torso as he left.

In the Tigers' clubhouse after the game, Zumaya was seen wearing a sling.

The reliever said he felt like his elbow exploded once he threw the pitch, and he immediately expected his career to be over.

The good news here is that the fracture is non-displaced, which means that Zumaya suffered a simple break in the area and that the bone has maintained its proper alignment. He is unlikely to need surgery, and Tigers officials termed the diagnosis "the best bad news you can get."

The olecranon is a thick, curved portion of bone found at the top of the ulna that connects to the olecranon fossa, a rounded triangular portion of bone found at the bottom of the humerus. Together, the olecranon and olecranon fossa form the pointy tip of the elbow.

Share Tigers catcher Gerald Laird described hearing "a little pop" when Zumaya threw the pitch on which he was injured.

Said bullpen-mate Phil Coke of the injury: "Something like that happens to a guy who has been a staple in our bullpen, it's brutal. It sucks."

It's not clear when Zumaya will be able to mount a comeback. The Tigers placed him on the 15-day disabled list and recalled right-hander Casey Fien from Triple-A Toledo.