Joel Zumaya Undergoes Surgery On Elbow

So Dr. Andrews replaced the screw in Zumaya’s elbow just in case, but outside of that, he didn’t see anything. He performed some routine maintenance, as it were, but there wasn’t anything wrong with the bones, muscles or ligaments, which is what a pitcher likes to hear.

So we’ll see. Andrews will re-evaluate Zumaya in about six weeks to check on his progress. It’s unlikely that Zumaya will be able to pitch again in 2011, but it isn’t entirely out of the question.

Zumaya initially went with rest and rehabilitation. That was two weeks ago. But now, it seems Zumaya has changed his mind. Jason Beck:

The exploratory surgery may not turn up much of anything, or it may uncover a more substantial problem that eluded prior tests. Either way, it’s going to be hard for Zumaya to return in the 2011 season. The Tigers should probably go ahead and count him out as a potential contributor down the stretch.

Zumaya went to see Dr. James Andrews, and Andrews didn’t find any nerve damage in Zumaya’s elbow. Still, that left Zumaya with a choice: attempt to rehab the elbow, or undergo exploratory surgery. According to Jason Beck, Zumaya has opted for rehab.

Surgery would have knocked Zumaya out for pretty much the entire season, so he’s trying to avoid that outcome if possible. So he’s going to enter a six-week rehab program instead before he can resume throwing. If all goes well, he return to the Tigers somewhere in the vicinity of the All-Star Break, but this being Joel Zumaya, we probably shouldn’t assume that everything will go well.

From Tom Gage (via the Detroit News):

Since zooming through the sky like a doomed meteor in 2006 with all those triple-digit fastballs and 1.94 ERA in 2006, Zumaya has suffered a variety of injuries and averaged 32 innings per season.