Cleveland.com—September 6, 2011
The Indians announced right-hander Carlos Carrasco will undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and be lost from 12 to 18 months.
Dr. David Altchek, who recently examined Carrasco, will perform the surgery at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.
Carrasco was on the disabled list twice this year with elbow pain. Head trainer Lonnie Soloff said the injury is probably the result of an incident Carrasco suffered as a teenager in Venezuela.
Carrasco made his last start on Aug. 3 against Boston. Shortly after that, he experienced elbow inflammation during a bullpen session and was placed on the disabled list. The Indians treated the injury conservatively, but Carrasco did not respond. The Indians sought advice from several doctors, and some suggested an arthroscopic procedure, which would have had a shorter recovery time.
"That would have probably been sufficient for a short period of time," said Soloff, "but it was in his best interest, as a 24-year-old pitcher, to move forward with UCL reconstruction [Tommy John surgery]."
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