They knew the big right-hander was dealing with a knee condition. Rand said it's patellar tendinosis, a condition known in basketball circles as Jumper's Knee. They knew about it before they acquired him from the Reds last December, according to manager Brad Ausmus, and they treated him during the season as symptoms popped up. Simon said he had a platelet-rich plasma injection last December, before he was traded, but he said the knee flared up again in Spring Training.
"This is a medical condition that he has," Rand said. "We treated it. We did some different things with him conditioningwise to make it easier for him, and obviously he was able to pitch all season.