Shelby Miller to meet Tommy John
After starting off season 2-2, 4.09 in four starts. Things seemed to be looking up. But came out after four innings of April 23 start.
Opting for surgery.
"After taking some time and sitting back for a couple of days and talking to everybody and getting all the information that I could, I'm just going to go ahead and get the surgery done," Miller said. "With where I am in my career and how many years I have ahead of me, I think it's the logical thing to do.
"If I took the conservative route, rehabbed and it didn't work out, I could possibly miss two years. If I do it right now with no questions asked, feeling pretty good, I'll be throwing bullpens again around Spring Training time and I'll be back with the team. That ultimately makes the most sense to me."
Since the recovery time from the surgery is typically 12 to 18 months, Miller's outlook is probably a bit too optimistic. In a best-case scenario, Miller will probably be back in action sometime during the latter part of next season.
Dr. James Andrews, who Miller consulted, now recommends rehabbing as close to the 18-month mark as possible to avoid recurrence of the injury. Andrews, who conducts many of these surgeries and is the foremost independent doctor in the field, says that 50 percent of all Tommy John patients suffer the injury again.
