Michael Bacigalupi
By Hunt Palmer
LSU’s injury issues started early. Really early.
Chris Stanfield confirmed Wednesday on After Further Review that he broke his hand sliding into home plate in the second game of the season against Milwaukee.
“I broke my hand,” Stanfield said. “I would probably say the Texas A&M series I was starting to feel a little better with the hand.”
Stanfield hit just .228 in 35 games, missing 23 dealing with the hand fracture and a tweaked hamstring at Mississippi State. Those injuries occurred on the field. Junior starter Cooper Moore‘s did not though he left his start in apparent pain against Oklahoma after just 62 pitches.
That right arm injury occurred two weeks earlier when a sweaty weight bar slipped out of his hands during clean rep.
“Kind of just a freak deal,” Moore said. “I was in the weight room after my third start, and I got hit right in between my elbow and forearm. It kind of was a bone bruise. It felt fine when I would throw and then every start it just kind of lingered and lingered. The recovery to get back to 100 percent just wasn’t the same.”
Moore tried to work his way back but was shut down with a month to go in the season and had surgery.
“I knew something was going on, but I wasn’t going to miss a start,” Moore said. “I was going to give as much as I could. It turns out it was an elbow fracture in my olecranon. They said it could have been up there for two to three years. So, I could have been pitching through it for a really long time. If that’s the case, then I’m really excited to get back.”
Back, means to LSU. Moore is a junior and could turn professional. He’s made the decision to return to the college game. LSU has a plan to ease him in over the final months of 2026.
“I talked with Jay (Johnson) about it,” Moore said. “He said we’re going to take it super, super slow in the fall. I’m not going to throw in the intrasquad scrimmages. He said I’m not going to take a break over Christmas break. That’s the time where I’m going to really build up so out of the gates, I can go five or six innings.
“I feel great. I really thought it was going to be a lot more painful and a lot more recovery process, but the pain’s been very minimal, and I can move it around and stuff, so I’m headed on the right track.”
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