Ryan Braun – UPI/Bill Greenblatt
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun has been dealing with a bad thumb dating back to the 2013 season. It bothered him to the point this season that his production dipped in the second half of the season. He hit just .210 in September, with one home run and five rbi’s.
Braun finished with a .266 batting average and 19 home runs, both career lows. His bad thumb prevented him from gripping the bat properly, which saw his results fall greatly.
When healthy, Braun averaged 34 home runs and 107 rbi’s while hitting .313 from 2007 through 2012.
Braun underwent a cryotherapy procedure, performed on his ailing right thumb on Thursday morning in California. The hope is to get Braun to return to the form from 2007-12.
The procedure is done with a needle, introducing subzero temperatures into the damaged nerve at the base of the thumb. Braun will meet again with Williams on Monday, and if there is no adverse reaction to the treatment, he will swing a bat to test his pain tolerance.