Brad Penny (left) has not picked up a ball since injuring his arm in his second start for LA. (Chris Carlson/AP)
CHICAGO -- Brad Penny will be sidelined longer than originally believed. The right-hander was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday, retroactive to last Monday.
Last Sunday in his second Dodger start, Penny suffered an injury to the biceps nerve that subsequently caused numbness in the forearm area. Trainer Stan Johnston said the belief is that Penny tore loose scar tissue on the nerve that resulted from a previous injury.
"He's actually better off now than before as far as elbow restriction, because he doesn't have any restriction now and he did before," said Johnston. Penny has had a history of minor elbow area problems.
As for the current injury, although Penny will be eligible to be activated Aug. 24, it is very possible he will not be available until rosters expand Sept. 1. He has yet to pick up a ball, still has some numbness in the forearm area and the sizeable lead has the club wanting to err on the side of caution.
Brad Penny / P
Born: 05/24/78
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 250 lbs
Bats: R / Throws: R
"I'd rather he miss one more start than necessary if it ensures we have him the rest of the way," said general manager Paul DePodesta, who acquired Penny, Hee-Seop Choi and minor leaguer Bill Murphy from Florida for Paul Lo Duca, Guillermo Mota and Juan Encarnacion July 30.
"Hopefully it won't be an extended stay on the disabled list. He's gotten significantly better, but he hasn't thrown. We need to give him time before he starts his next game."
After Sunday's game, Penny said he expected to be throwing "soon" and that he would not need a minor league stint.
Johnston confirmed that Penny has shown steady improvement, but warned that the healing rate of nerves is unpredictable. Only two weeks remain in the minor league season, so a rehabilitation assignment might not apply.
DePodesta on trade: Penny is disabled and Choi entered Sunday's game hitting .143 as a Dodger, while Lo Duca is on fire and Mota has been for the Marlins exactly what he was for the Dodgers.
Does DePodesta have any regrets?
"After you make a decision, there's going to be a lot of things happen beyond your control," he said. "You have to recognize the timing and the circumstances when you made the deal, then you have to move on."
Hideo Nomo / P
Born: 08/31/68
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 235 lbs
Bats: R / Throws: R
Speaking of rehab: Hideo Nomo flew Sunday to Las Vegas, where he will make his first rehab start Monday night. Nomo is expected to pitch three innings and will need to make at least two such starts before he will be ready for Major League action. Nomo has been disabled since July 1 with rotator cuff weakness.
Edwin Jackson, out three weeks with a strained forearm, will follow Nomo to Las Vegas and make his first rehab start Wednesday.
Venafro arrives: Mike Venafro, acquired in a minor league trade Tuesday with Kansas City for pitcher Elvin Nina, made a meteoric return to the big leagues as the replacement for Penny on the Dodger roster.
The side-arming left-hander pitched twice for Las Vegas and was the losing pitcher in his first game after an erratic season at Triple-A Omaha, where he was 2-4 with a 4.37 ERA and two saves. At Las Vegas, he allowed four runs in one-third inning his first game and threw two scoreless innings in the other.
He will be a situational left-hander, a role Tom Martin held until his salary-dump trade to Atlanta. Venafro held left-handed hitters to a .211 average at Omaha, compared to .340 against right-handers, and allowed 70 hits in 57 1/3 innings.
"I'm comfortable using him, I know his delivery and what his capabilities are," said manager Jim Tracy.
The Dodgers are the sixth organization for Venafro, 31, whose link to DePodesta was the 2002 season with Oakland. He has Major League service time each of the last five seasons, pitching in a combined 212 games with Texas from 1999-2001.
Ken Gurnick is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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Brad Penny / P
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