Tommy John Surgery

Latest News Update About Tommy John Surgery: The news that pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg is likely headed for Tommy John surgery put a stunning end to what had been one of the most mesmerizing stories of the the baseball season. Strasburg’s spectacular 14-strikeout debut for the Nationals in June had managed to exceed all the outsized hype that preceded it.The Nationals announced Friday that a magnetic resonance imaging test revealed a significant tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching arm. The team said he was headed to get a second opinion and if the original diagnosis is confirmed, he would have the surgery immediately.That means only 12 games into his major league career, Strasburg, 22, is facing a 12-to-18-month recovery from the operation and perhaps another season to recover his form. Strasburg, the No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft, seemed headed for superstardom and now looks like a lot of young pitchers whose arms fail suddenly.
The Nationals began digesting the news Strasburg might need the major surgery Monday, after an MRI exam showed potential signs of the torn ligament. Their fears were realized Thursday afternoon, after eam doctor Wiemi Douoguih administered an arthrogram, an enhanced MRI exam in which dye is shot into the specified area.

The Nationals informed Strasburg yesterday, but he wanted to delay the announcement of his impending likely surgery so as not to spoil first overall pick Bryce Harper’s introductory press conference. Rizzo spoke with Strasburg late last night.

But Strasburg still succumbed to the same fate as Zimmermann, another young right-hander the Nationals project as a frontline starter. Zimmermann required Tommy John surgery last August after his elbow broke down in late July before he reached 100 major league innings. Zimmermann returned to the majors Thursday night, 399 days after he underwent surgery and almost exactly 13 months since his last major league appearance. Read More. Stay with us for more news.