Minnesota Twins’ Ryan O’Rourke to Have Tommy John Surgery
Minnesota Twins left-handed reliever Ryan O’Rourke is set to undergo Tommy John surgery to repair a tear in his left elbow’s ulnar collateral ligament, per several reports.
After beginning the season on the 10-day disabled list with a strained forearm, it was discovered that Minnesota Twins left-hander Ryan O’Rourke has a partial tear in his left elbow’s ulnar collateral ligament, and will require season-ending surgery. He was transferred to the 60-day disabled list on Monday.
“We were all holding on to a little hope that he might get a couple options to how he should proceed instead of having to undergo the Tommy John procedure, but unfortunately didn’t get that news,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said via Dave Sessions of MLB.com. “We all kind of thought something was up by the fact that he just didn’t show much improvement the last month since he came forward with the issues he was facing.”
Twins team doctors and Texas Rangers team physician Dr. Keith Meister examined O’Rourke and determined surgery would be the best option going forward. O’Rourke researched alternatives to Tommy John, including the “primary repair” procedure that former St. Louis Cardinals reliever Seth Maness had last season.
Tommy John typically keeps a pitcher out for 12 to 14 months, but the modified version of the procedure could cut that timeline in half. O’Rourke said he’s looked into the surgery since other minor leaguers have tried it.
“A lot of minor leaguers have done it,” O’Rourke said via Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “It’s very new, and there’s not really much to go off of. When Tommy John first started, it was the same thing. It was a very new surgery, and not a lot of doctors wanted to do it because they didn’t know. They didn’t want to screw someone up.”
O’Rourke is aiming to return by spring training next year. While on the disabled list, O’Rourke will still accrue a full year of service time – but will fall just short of arbitration eligibility with two years and six days in the majors.
Last season, O’Rourke spent 26 games in the majors and posted a 3.96 ERA with 8.64 K/9 and 3.60 BB/9. While with Triple-A Rochester, however, O’Rourke posted a dominant 1.93 ERA with 9.32 K/9 and 1.93 BB/9 in 33 appearances.
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O’Rourke, set to turn 29 in a few days, joins right-hander Trevor May as the second Twins reliever to undergo Tommy John surgery this season. The team’s first-round pick last season, outfielder Alex Kirilloff, also suffered a UCL tear and underwent the surgery last month.