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Joe Nathan's elbow tells him it's time for Tommy John surgery
To test his ailing right elbow, Joe Nathan(notes) played an undercover game of catch on Sunday morning.
The elbow's grade: "F," as in "Frack, this hurts."
Because he felt pain, which wasn't unexpected, Nathan will proceed with Tommy John ligament replacement surgery. (It won't be done by Dr. James Andrews, who removed bone chips from Nathan's elbow this past offseason.)
Estimated recovery time for Tommy John: 12 months.
From Kelly Thesier's blog at MLB.com:
"It didn't go like we hoped," Nathan said. "We knew it was a long shot, but what this did do is clear my head. There was definitely no gray area."
Nathan was diagnosed with what the Twins called a "significant" tear in his ulnar collateral ligament on March 8, two days after he left a spring exhibition game against the Red Sox with stiffness in the elbow. Nathan held out hope that he could rehab the injury but said after the game of catch that it was not possible.
What will the Twins do, not simply for a closer, but for the 75-80 quality innings Nathan provided every season? Yahoo! Sports' own Tim Brown ruminates on this.
Left-hander Francisco Liriano(notes) might be an option, but he's being told to continue preparing as a starter. Manager Ron Gardenhire hasn't decided between Liriano and Brian Duensing(notes), who pitched well for the Twinkies last year, for the fifth starter's spot.
I assumed that Matt Guerrier(notes), who has turned into a solid reliever, would get the first crack at the closer's job. Jon Rauch(notes) has experience as a closer, but it's not always been the best experience. Sidewinder Pat Neshek(notes) would be another guy, but it's been a while since he pitched.
Jose Mijares(notes) and Jesse Crain(notes) round out the bullpen.
The Twins need to add a reliever. The AL Central has gone down to the 163rd game the past two seasons. We're not talking about much of a margin for error.
Heath Bell(notes) would be great, but if they try to act right now, they might look desperate. And maybe they are. They just don't want to look desperate.
