St. Louis Cardinals Shortstop Khalil Greene Placed On Disabled List Due to Social Anxiety Disorder

I ran an article some time ago about ex professional baseball player Jimmy Piersall and his battle with bi-polar disorder.  This article describes the story of Khalil Green and his battle with Social Anxiety Disorder.  You will also see in this article a link to another professional ballplayer, Dontrelle Willis who is said to have suffered with the same disorder.  You can follow the link and read a bit about him as well.  This is a new topic for the blog and this article will be followed by another one detailing Social Anxiety Disorder.  Allan

SAN FRANCISCO — The Cardinals on Friday placed shortstop Khalil Greene on the 15-day disabled list with social anxiety disorder, replacing him on the active roster by bringing outfielder Ryan Ludwick back from the 15-day DL.

Greene, a 29-year-old former first-round pick in the annual First-Year Player Draft who was acquired in a trade with the Padres over the winter, is batting .200 with two homers and 14 RBIs.

He’s the second player in the Majors placed on the DL with an anxiety disorder this season; Tigers left-hander Dontrelle Willis missed six weeks before recently returning to Detroit’s active roster.

“This is not a stress-free business,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said before the opener of a three-game series against the host Giants at AT&T Park.

La Russa did not want to speculate as to how long Greene might be shelved.

“This is different from a physical injury, so I don’t really want to go into it,” said the skipper. “How I understand it, he’s put a lot of pressure on himself.”

Luwick, who missed 14 games with a strained right hamstring, entered the San Francisco series batting .274 with eight home runs and 26 RBIs. He was in St. Louis’ starting lineup Friday, playing right field and batting in the cleanup spot.

“It’s difficult for me right now,” Greene said Friday, shortly after consenting to go on the DL. “It’s difficult for me to manage that. I don’t know how many people can relate to it. It’s so strong. It’s a very intense feeling and it’s very unpleasant. It’s not life threatening. I’m not putting myself at risk. But at the same time those responses are there automatically. I really have to concentrate to slow down, focus and stay in the game.”

Greene describes his attempts at maintaining control as exhausting. The self-punishment and the screams from within the dugout tunnel brought him only passing relief while jarring those around him.

Hoping to convey the dynamics of his problem, Greene compares the condition to someone with a fear of heights suddenly perched on a 10th-story ledge.

“You become dizzy or feel ill. But you can pull yourself off the ledge and come inside,” Greene said. “When I’m in the game I can’t get off the ledge. The feeling doesn’t go away.”

The Cardinals insisted that Greene sideline himself for at least two weeks, perhaps longer.

“It was more a situation they thought was best for me,” Greene said. “I wasn’t going to argue with them. Part of me wanted to work it out. Another part understands it’s not a bad game plan to step away from it for a while. I’m hopeful of getting back to a high level. I’m not looking at this as a career-ending situation.”

General manager John Mozeliak said Friday that Greene will continue to visit his personal doctors unless little progress results. At that point, according to Mozeliak, the club may intervene in his treatment.