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Banned
Liriano to have major elbow surgery, miss next season
By DAVE CAMPBELL, AP Sports Writer
November 3, 2006
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Francisco Liriano and the Minnesota Twins were afraid of this: His left elbow needs major surgery, and the pitching sensation is expected to miss the 2007 season.
Liriano found out Friday that he requires Tommy John surgery, a ligament transplant procedure that usually takes at least a year to recover from.
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"That's the way it is. Unfortunately we're going to lose him for a year, but people come back from these with the ability to rebound," Twins general manager Terry Ryan said by phone from Arizona, where he is scouting fall league games.
The 23-year-old Liriano met Friday with noted specialist Dr. Lewis Yocum. The surgery is scheduled for Monday with team physician Dr. John Steubs assisting Yocum.
Promoted to the rotation in mid-May, Liriano dominated the league with a wicked slider that he often threw well over 90 mph. He went 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA and 144 strikeouts in 121 innings as a rookie.
It's possible the strain put on his arm by throwing that pitch so hard was part of this problem with his ulnar collateral ligament, which first popped up in late July and was diagnosed then as a mild strain.
Liriano pitched only six innings over the final two months of the season, leaving a game in mid-September after two innings because of discomfort in his elbow. He tried to throw lightly last month in Florida at the team's spring training facility, but his arm still hurt.
"Hopefully everything will go well, and he'll be able to get back to the form he showed this year, which is quite high," Ryan said.
In the meantime, the Twins must figure out how to fill out their rotation. Johan Santana, the favorite to win his second AL Cy Young Award this month, is set in the first spot, but veteran Brad Radke's expected retirement will leave another void.
That's one reason why the team exercised a $4,325,000 option for next season on right-hander Carlos Silva's contract to bring back a pitcher who posted a 5.94 ERA and allowed a majors-high 38 homers.
Beyond Santana and Silva, everyone else is inexperienced, though Boof Bonser pitched well as a rookie and former first-round draft picks Matt Garza and Glen Perkins are promising prospects. Scott Baker, who went 5-8 with a 6.37 ERA in 16 starts this year, will also be in the mix, and Minnesota will also consider more established options through free agency and trades.
By DAVE CAMPBELL, AP Sports Writer
November 3, 2006
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Francisco Liriano and the Minnesota Twins were afraid of this: His left elbow needs major surgery, and the pitching sensation is expected to miss the 2007 season.
Liriano found out Friday that he requires Tommy John surgery, a ligament transplant procedure that usually takes at least a year to recover from.
ADVERTISEMENT
"That's the way it is. Unfortunately we're going to lose him for a year, but people come back from these with the ability to rebound," Twins general manager Terry Ryan said by phone from Arizona, where he is scouting fall league games.
The 23-year-old Liriano met Friday with noted specialist Dr. Lewis Yocum. The surgery is scheduled for Monday with team physician Dr. John Steubs assisting Yocum.
Promoted to the rotation in mid-May, Liriano dominated the league with a wicked slider that he often threw well over 90 mph. He went 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA and 144 strikeouts in 121 innings as a rookie.
It's possible the strain put on his arm by throwing that pitch so hard was part of this problem with his ulnar collateral ligament, which first popped up in late July and was diagnosed then as a mild strain.
Liriano pitched only six innings over the final two months of the season, leaving a game in mid-September after two innings because of discomfort in his elbow. He tried to throw lightly last month in Florida at the team's spring training facility, but his arm still hurt.
"Hopefully everything will go well, and he'll be able to get back to the form he showed this year, which is quite high," Ryan said.
In the meantime, the Twins must figure out how to fill out their rotation. Johan Santana, the favorite to win his second AL Cy Young Award this month, is set in the first spot, but veteran Brad Radke's expected retirement will leave another void.
That's one reason why the team exercised a $4,325,000 option for next season on right-hander Carlos Silva's contract to bring back a pitcher who posted a 5.94 ERA and allowed a majors-high 38 homers.
Beyond Santana and Silva, everyone else is inexperienced, though Boof Bonser pitched well as a rookie and former first-round draft picks Matt Garza and Glen Perkins are promising prospects. Scott Baker, who went 5-8 with a 6.37 ERA in 16 starts this year, will also be in the mix, and Minnesota will also consider more established options through free agency and trades.
