[消息] Neshek to have surgery, miss '09

看板MIN-Twins作者ToriiHunter (嘿嘿)時間17年前 (2008/11/12 11:00)推噓1(1推 0噓 1→)

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http://tinyurl.com/6rz6o2 看到這新聞真難過，Neshek保重阿，下次看你投球就是在Target Field了明年我們第八局要給誰投?Jose Mijares?? MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins spent the majority of the 2008 season searching for an eighth-inning setup man to replace Pat Neshek, who saw his season ended in early May due to an elbow injury. Now that search will be extended to finding someone to take over Neshek's role for the 2009 season as well. The Twins announced on Tuesday that Neshek will undergo ligament replacement surgery on his right elbow and will miss all of the '09 season. The news came after an MRI on Neshek's elbow revealed a complete tear of the ulnar collateral ligament. A date for the surgery has not yet been set. The right-hander was originally diagnosed with a partial tear in the ligament when he injured the elbow in a game at Chicago on May 9. But he re-injured the elbow, suffering a complete tear of the ligament, during a throwing session last week in Fort Myers, Fla. Neshek, 28, flew back to the Twin Cities on Monday to meet with team doctors and he underwent an MRI on Tuesday morning which revealed the additional damage. "It's certainly very disappointing for Pat and it's disappointing for us," Twins general manager Bill Smith said of the news. "We were optimistic [he would be ready for Spring Training] because he had done well all through the summer and into the fall with his throwing program. But he threw one pitch last week and essentially felt it tear." Neshek could not be reached for comment. At the time of his original injury in May, when Neshek was diagnosed with an acute partial tear of the ligament, the Twins recommended rehabilitation, not surgery. Neshek also got a second opinion from noted surgeon Dr. James Andrews, who agreed with the Twins' recommendation. And up until last week, everything had been going as scheduled with the rehab program. Neshek, who has posted a 2.91 ERA in 121 career appearances and held opponents to a .188 batting average over that span, had gotten back on the mound and appeared to be on track to be ready for the start of Spring Training in February. The hope for the Twins was that they would have their primary setup man, with his distinctive sidearm style, back in the mix for '09. But that won't be the case now. The typical recovery time for Tommy John surgery is 12-15 months. Twins left-hander Francisco Liriano had the surgery in November 2006 and made his return to the ballclub this past February in Spring Training. So the hope for the Twins now is that Neshek will be ready by the start of Spring Training in 2010, leaving the club without him for another full season. The bullpen was already one of the areas that the Twins felt they needed to bolster this offseason. But with Neshek now out of the fold, that need for bullpen help appears to have increased. "It was a priority and obviously now it continues to be an area we'll look to address as we get ready for Spring Training and the 2009 season," Smith said of the bullpen. "We do have some young players within the organization that are options and they'll certainly have a chance to step up and take one of these roles. But we're going to continue to look at the trade and free-agent market to see what is available to us outside as well." One young player in the Twins system who is an option for the eighth inning is left-hander Jose Mijares. The 24-year-old eased into the setup role at the end of the season as a September callup. Mijares posted a 0.87 ERA over 10 1/3 innings with five strikeouts. Although the Twins will likely give some of their other young arms a chance, the club could find options elsewhere. The Twins will have their first crack at the free-agent market when it officially opens up at 11:01 p.m. CT on Thursday night, and the trade market for relief options is just starting to heat up. So while the Twins struggled to find someone to take over Neshek's role last season, the hope is that they'll have plenty of options to test in that spot this spring. "We're going to have to adjust," Smith said of another season without Neshek. "But we certainly want to get him back healthy." -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 61.228.37.129