Third base prospect Andy LaRoche, 22, has a slight labrum tear in his throwing shoulder, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.

The second paragraph below is meant to be soothing, but it's making me queasy:

LaRoche, playing for Triple-A Las Vegas, heard a pop and felt a sharp pain. He had an MRI and was examined on Saturday by Dr. Frank Jobe, who believes the injury was caused by the dive and not the throw.

Jobe prescribed 10 days of rest before deciding whether surgery would be necessary. Trainer Stan Johnston said that surgery was not necessarily a given, because many players function despite such tears.

"Function" is a pretty loose word choice, and that's what bothers me. "Function" does not mean "perform at maximum capability." Eric Gagne, at this point, is trying to get back to functioning.

Furthermore, surgery doesn't always solve the problem, as we witnessed with Shawn Green, whose doctors removed damaged cartilage and didn't repair his labrum at all. Green has remained in the game, but his power has never been the same. He's functioning.

Hopefully, LaRoche's condition isn't so serious, but this isn't exactly the same as stubbing your toe.

LaRoche was 4 for 12 with two homers and three walks in four games with Las Vegas. He had OPSed .902 in 62 games with Jacksonville this year before his promotion.

Update: Here's a two-year old article by Will Carroll for Slate on labrum injuries.

Update 2: Dodger Thoughts commenter Vishal points out that Troy Glaus has regained his power despite a previous labrum injury.

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Gurnick goes on to add these rehabilitation updates: