Lastings Milledge knew something was wrong almost from the day he set foot in spring camp. His right shoulder was sore, and while that's not a most unusual thing for a professional baseball player, something just felt off.
Still, Milledge soldiered on, motivated by a desire to atone for a down year in 2013. But the pain didn't subside, it only grew. Soon, it affected his hitting and his fielding almost to a point where he couldn't do anything baseball-related at all. Now, weeks after those initial feelings of unease, Milledge finds himself as the latest casualty of what has already been a season riddled with injuries for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows.
The team announced Sunday that Milledge will head to the U.S. on Monday to have doctors check his shoulder. There won't be a timetable for a possible return until the team has reviewed the results of the tests.