Dodger’s Outfielder Matt Kemp Won’t Play the Opening Series in Australia, Ankle Injury is Keeping Him Off the Field

Matt Kemp, outfielder for the Dodgers, won’t make it to the Opening Series in Australia because his left ankle is still recovering from surgery. Kemp is slowly picking his training back up by hitting and throwing, but has not quite made it to running yet. His doctors want him to avoid putting too much stress on his ankle to avoid a lasting injury.

“Kemp is attempting to return from a career-threatening injury to the weight-bearing talus bone in his left ankle, a stress reaction and cartilage chip. The repair surgery included a microfracture procedure to produce additional cartilage-like substance for extra protection to the bone. The tricky part of Kemp’s comeback is that if he returns too soon, the bone can be damaged permanently, and there is no way to accurately predict when the bone is fully healed,” (Kemp likely to miss Opening Series in Australia: MLB, February 21, 2014).

Coaches are playing it safe and not pushing Kemp too hard to avoid reinjuring his ankle. As of now, there is no timetable for his return to the field so he will stay on the disabled list for the start of the 2014 season.

“Injuries like this one are becoming much more common in professional sports and making athletes stop and think about their finances if they can no longer perform,” remarks Frank N. Darras, disability insurance lawyer to the pros. “Kemp has been one of the most valuable players for the Dodgers so they want to see a successful recovery. That won’t happen if he starts playing again too soon. Instead, he would risk the end of his career by permanently injuring his ankle.”

The 2013 season was full of injuries and trips to the disabled list for Matt Kemp. He has suffered from issues with his left shoulder, right hamstring, and his left ankle. He went from playing in 162 games during the 2010 season down to 73 games in the 2013 season. Read More.

“The Dodgers will be anxious to get such a valuable player back on the field. All we can do is hope his injury heals quickly so we can see him in action once again. Athletes like Kemp should refer to a disability insurance expert and talk about getting an own-occupation insurance policy. Players should prepare for changes in their careers and if that happens, be able to keep their insurance benefits. As Kemp’s record goes to show, no athlete is ever safe from injury and should always have a policy in place to protect their income,” says Darras.