He was placed on the DL on May 17. Nagy was diagnosed with loose bodies in his right elbow . Loose bodies in the elbow are common among athletes like baseball pitchers who use a lot of overhead throwing motions, subjecting their arms to tremendous stress. After a while, these repetitive overhead movements can lead to the formation of small loose bodies made of cartilage or bone. Bone spurs, which are spiny projections on the bone, also are common in pitchers.
Loose bodies can travel in and out of areas and cause problems on an intermittent basis.
They may even travel to an area of the elbow where they cause no harm. But they can migrate to an area of the elbow where they will interfere with the extension or flexing of the elbow. An orthopaedic doctor often can diagnose loose bodies in the elbow by physical examination. X-rays are used to identify the loose bodies made of bone. An MRI is used if other loose bodies made of cartilage are suspected of causing problems.