Wieters has surgery, will begin recovery soon
Performed by Dr. Andrews, operation expected to sideline catcher nine months
ST. PETERSBURG -- Orioles catcher Matt Wieters underwent successful Tommy John surgery on his right elbow on Tuesday.
Wieters' palmaris longus tendon replaced his ulnar collateral ligament, and he also had a nerve transposed and a bone spur shaved down in a quick procedure that was performed by Dr. James Andrews in Florida and lasted no longer than 30 minutes, according to Baltimore manager Buck Showalter.
"It went well," Showalter said. "Usually when you have something [like this], a spur forms because your body is trying to cover for it. We knew he had a little bit of spur in there. Most guys do, I'd say about three-fourths of guys have a spur and they shaved that down and transposed the nerve.
"It was pretty normal for what they do with all of them. If you're that far along with the injury to the ligament, you usually have a spur because of what the body does to cover for it. He was real pleased with it."
The plan is for Wieters to stay overnight in Gulf Breeze, Fla., before heading back to Atlanta. He will begin some form of rehab right away.
The recovery timetable for Wieters, a two-time All-Star, is estimated at nine months.