…the doc would run him through a series of movements to try and detect what is triggering the pain. If he can narrow down a certain movement that causes discomfort, these guys are real good at determining what muscle structure, ligament or tendon is causing the problem.

What the MRI will show that a physical exam can’t – the specific location of any tissue inflamation, tearing and the degree in which it is disturbed. With this said, shoulders can be tricky and MRI’s have been known to miss stuff that is going on, but it’s more than likely they will have a high degree of confidence how long he is out after those results.

One thing I question is why he didn’t get it done today. It could be because the doc detected fairly signifcant inflamation in the shoulder and an MRI will reveal more after that swelling subsides. Several hours of icing between now and tomorrow could get that accomplished. It also could be that his exam was very straight forward and he was able to pin point (with a high degree of confidence) what the issue is, and they didn’t feel it was critical to get the MRI today.

This thing could go a whole bunch of different ways. At the minimum, I would bet the Cubs rest him for a week or so, or it could be more significant and cause him to miss a longer period of time. You just don’t know until you get the facts and find out how he feels in a couple days.

You might have heard on the game tonight. Harden clarified he’s OK but does have soreness and will pitch. That was an update from one of the guys at Comcast Sports that spoke with him. Please feel free to clarify anything I might have mixed up.

I’ve never heard of that before (a dye). Well perhaps he was feeling better today?

I do find it bizarre that no one in the clubhouse has heard from him. However, places like Baseball Tonight are not making a big deal out of this so maybe we shouldn’t either. I know ESPN loves this sort of drama.

…they inject him with a contrast (like a dye) to help show “hot spots” (areas of damage) in his shoulder.

They could also be referring to injecting him with cortisone, if his issue was the same as June, which I believe was tendinitis. I had several of those babies when I played in college. They work pretty well, but how long you need to rest depends on the severity of the inflamation.

…whether he had contrast the last time or not. I believe they said he had tendinitis, but I am curious as to whether they injected him with cortisone at that time or just gave him oral medication.