Rays left-hander Drew Smyly tells reporters, including Matt Stein of Sports Talk Florida, that he will not undergo surgery on his left shoulder, as had previously been reported to be likely. Instead, Smyly will undergo an eight-week rehab program that doctors feel will allow him to pitch again this season.
Smyly’s rehab program would have the lefty — acquired as one of the key pieces in last July’s three-team David Price/Austin Jackson blockbuster — playing catch again within a week or two, Stein writes. Doctors have told Smyly that the tear he has in his labrum is not significant and were nothing but positive about the results of his MRI. Surgery “isn’t even an option” at this time, per Stein.
That, of course, doesn’t preclude surgery entirely; as Stein notes, the end result of the injury could be that Smyly is forced to go under the knife. Smyly pointed to former college teammate (and current Dodgers right-hander) Mike Bolsinger as a reason to be optimistic. Bolsinger had a similar situation in his right shoulder in college but rehabbed the slight tear, Smyly says, and never wound up undergoing surgery to repair the issue. Smyly feels that it’s possible for him to return to the Rays in July or August. “I’m hopeful and confident that I’ll pitch again this year,” he said.
If Smyly is to avoid surgery altogether, it could be a major boon to the Rays’ playoff chances. The team currently sits with a 22-19 record — tied with the Yankees for the AL East lead. (They’re also leading the A’s 1-0 as of this writing.) If Smyly can return, he would join a rotation that has lost Alex Cobb but hopes to be bolstered by a returning Matt Moore next month. Chris Archer has taken a step forward in 2015, pitching like a No. 1 starter, while Jake Odorizzi has been excellent and Nathan Karns has come around after a slow start. A rotation of Archer, Odorizzi, Moore, Smyly and Karns would look formidable down the stretch, health permitting, and it could allow Alex Colome to shift to the bullpen, where his 94 mph fastball could play up even further.
That’s gutsy
Totally agreed he should have taken the surgery
He would be out until 2017 with surgery, regardless if he does it now or this offseason, so the risk may be worth the potential reward. If he tries to rehab and can’t, having surgery in November would allow him to be ready by the end of Spring Training 2017.
This is what I’m thinking. He will end up missing next year regardless if he has surgery now or August. Might as well see if he can rehab and contribute this year. He also has significant experience and success working out of the pen, so maybe that could be an option down the stretch if he doesn’t have the strength in his shoulder to handle starting.
Even though his doctors said surgery is not an option?
yikes
Good luck to Smyly. I hope the arm recovers and the rehab works.
Really hoping he comes back and is effective; keeping Ramirez out of the rotation is important, and I can see Colome being a useful reliever this year before getting stretched out for next season as a starter.