News
Padres' Young opts for shoulder surgery
Right-hander should be ready in time for Spring Training
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
08/14/09 7:37 PM ET
ST. LOUIS -- The smart play was also the easiest play for Padres pitcher Chris Young, who decided not to suffer through a winter of discontent, filled with rest and rehab for what has become a troublesome right shoulder.Instead, Young will have arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder Monday at Scripps Clinic in Carmel Valley, located outside San Diego.
Young has been told that he will be ready for the start of Spring Training in February after having this procedure.
"It got to the point where I wasn't going to pitch again this season and I wanted to be 100 percent ready for next year," said Young, who last pitched for the Padres on June 14. " ... If I rested it, there was a chance it could heal on its own. But this is smarter to be more aggressive now and it let everything heal over the offseason."
The procedure is known debridement, which is the removal of lacerated, devitalized or contaminated tissue. The procedure will be done by Padres team physician, Heinz Hoenecke.
"I think we'll see improvement after the surgery," Young said. "The doctors have told me that structurally, everything is fine. It's a basic cleanup to smooth out the areas that were bothering me.
"There's always a risk they'll find something, but they believe that risk is low and there is nothing to repair."
Young, who will finish the season 4-6 with a 5.21 ERA in 76 innings, made what ended up being two unsuccessful attempts at throwing on the side, the last coming in early July. But even after a spell where he had no pain in the shoulder, the pain eventually came back.
"It just plateaued," Young said.
Young said he recently spoke with Dodgers pitcher Randy Wolf, who prior to his lone season with the Padres in 2008 underwent a similar procedure.
"He said the symptoms were the same and he came out of it great," Young said.
Earlier this month, Arizona pitcher Brandon Webb had debridement surgery on his right shoulder that included some shaving that was done to the labrum area that was frayed.
"[The damage was] just normal wear and tear you get from pitching," said Webb, who was told he could be playing catch 10 weeks after his procedure.
The Padres are hoping nothing is found during the procedure and that Young can be ready to go in Spring Training where he'll likely be the No. 1 starter in the rotation.
"The scans have come back normal as far as what they can tell from a scan," San Diego manager Bud Black said of the multiple MRIs Young has had. "But scans don't always tell you everything. The doctor will go in and have a look at what the cause is."
Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
