Ken Bell:

Great news for Rocco Baldelli.  A visit to the Cleveland Clinic last week revealed that doctors had misdiagnosed his illness.  Baldelli missed much of last season, and when he did play, he was limited because of extreme fatigue.  Doctors thought it was mitochondrial disorder, which can be fatal.  The Baldelli family told me tonight that the Cleveland Clinic diagnosed his condition as channelopathy, a non-progressive, highly treatable disease.

Marc Topkin:

Free agent OF Rocco Baldelli clarified the Rhode Island TV reports this morning, saying there has been an updated diagnosis that is “an encouraging development” and with adjustments to his current medication he hopes “to be on the field on a much more regular basis.”

Baldelli said he was not orginally “misdiagnosed” as reported by WLNE and WPRI, but that the original diagnosis of a mitochondrial disorder was “the best diagnosis at the time.”

His doctor at the Cleveland Clinic has since reviewed further and more sophisticated testing that indicates his condition is a less-severe and treatable channelopathy. With a modification of medicine Baldelli is currently taking and having good results from, he is optimistic about his health and his baseball career.

“It’s definitely an encouraging development,” Baldelli said this morning from his Rhode Island home. “Knowing this is a treatable condition, I feel this is a very positive thing for me and my baseball career. With this less-severe diagnosis, I hope to be on the field on a much more regular basis.”

With the previous diagnoses I thought that Baldelli would be a low-risk, medium reward signing; but now he looks like a possible low risk, high reward guy.

Sign Rocco, give him time at DH and occasionally left field.