Parra shut down again

Brewers left-hander Manny Parra will seek a second opinion on his sprained left elbow from noted orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum after a recurrence of pain during a throwing session on Friday.

Parra will have another MRI scan to determine whether anything more is going on in his elbow than the original diagnosis from Brewers doctors on May 4 — that he has a sprained ulnar collateral ligament and sprained flexor tendon. The worry then, and now, is that a combination of UCL and flexor tendon trouble is often a precursor to Tommy John ligament replacement surgery.

“I was throwing, I can make it look normal, but it was not in my best interests to continue to throw,” Parra said. “There was some increased pain on the spot, directly. The whole intent is to try to allow the ligament to recover. We had to back off. … Let’s be smart, back off, and, if we can, save it.”

Parra was nearing the end of a Minor League rehabilitation assignment for a back injury earlier this month when he developed elbow discomfort. After the initial MRI showed the ligament was intact, he took seven days off before re-starting a throwing program.

Initially, the results were good. That changed this week.

“There’s nothing to be nervous about [because] there’s nothing I can do,” Parra said.

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