9/1/21 - Kenta Maeda had Tommy John Surgery

[Seth Stohs]

It was assumed, but there was always some hope that when the doctor went in to work on Kenta Maeda's elbow, something other than Tommy John surgery could have been performed. But no, Rocco Baldelli informed Twins media this afternoon that Maeda did have Tommy John surgery. That means, of course, that he will be out the rest of this season as well as most, if not all, of the 2022 season. 

  

[Brock Beauchamp]

Interesting. So there’s a chance he may pitch next season. 

[bean5302]

Standard return times are 12-18 months. I suppose it's possible he could get some bullpen games in next September if everything goes almost perfect.

[Mike Sixel]

2 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Standard return times are 12-18 months. I suppose it's possible he could get some bullpen games in next September if everything goes almost perfect.

Um, that's why he had the other surgery? Shorter return time possible......

[bean5302]

1 minute ago, Mike Sixel said:

Um, that's why he had the other surgery? Shorter return time possible......

Please read the topic.

[Mike Sixel]

6 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Please read the topic.

I did. The Tweet makes is clear he had an internal brace put in, which could shorten the time to 9 months. Did you read the Tweet?

[sjunisu]

Well at least the surgery occurred now rather than try and rehab for 5+ months and then decide on the surgery (which seems to happen time and again).  Should be good to go beginning 2023 and not mid 2023.

[Sousy]

55 minutes ago, Seth Stohs said:

It was assumed, but there was always some hope that when the doctor went in to work on Kenta Maeda's elbow, something other than Tommy John surgery could have been performed. But no, Rocco Baldelli informed Twins media this afternoon that Maeda did have Tommy John surgery. That means, of course, that he will be out the rest of this season as well as most, if not all, of the 2022 season. 

  

From what I know of Tommy John surgery, it seems unreal that something like that actually works.  I have no idea what "internal brace" means, but here's hoping he can come back healthy.

[Mike Sixel]

weird, it showed the tweet, now doesn't.....this is a link to an article about the kind of surgery he had. Also, this is one of the better follows if you want info about injuries....

 

[DocBauer]

1 hour ago, Sousy said:

From what I know of Tommy John surgery, it seems unreal that something like that actually works.  I have no idea what "internal brace" means, but here's hoping he can come back healthy.

Won't pretend to be any sort of medical expert here, but IIRC Hill's version of the surgery was a repair of the ligament and it was re-inforced by attaching to the bone, or something similar. If the "brace" part of the tweet is accurate, I'm going to guess something akin to a mesh was put in place for better stability and potentially faster healing.

[DocBauer]

2 hours ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

Interesting. So there’s a chance he may pitch next season. 

Would be awesome to get in a month or so in to stretch out, shake off rust, and ramp up for 2023. 

My father, tongue in cheek, commented that might mean he's available for the playoffs next year. LOL

[bean5302]

4 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

I did. The Tweet makes is clear he had an internal brace put in, which could shorten the time to 9 months. Did you read the Tweet?

I did. I suppose it depends on whether or not Maeda actually underwent Tommy John surgery, which is UCL reconstruction via replacement (historically without a tape brace)

It sounds like Maeda didn't actually undergo what should be referred to as Tommy John surgery. Instead, he underwent UCL repair, unless it was some sort of hybrid.

https://www.newswise.com/articles/new-surgical-technique-cuts-tommy-john-recovery-time-in-half

I should have spent more time researching it. My fault there.

[AceWrigley]

My friend, Dr. Frankenschtuppen, supplied me with a small video documenting the one success he's had with this surgery:

[roger]

Today's Strib had a good report of what occurred.  The Texas doctor has done about 50 of these to pitchers, both major league and amateur.  It is TJ surgery, but with a new wrinkle in which he inserts a brace...whatever that means.  It could/should shorten the recovery period from the normal 12-16 months to as little as 9-12.  

If Kenta can be on the mound pitching in the minors in 10 months, that would be July 1.  A month of rehab would put him back at Target Field on August 1, in time for the Twins run to the playoffs.  So assuming he can meet the shorter rehab period enabled by this surgery, it would be like trading for a top pitcher come next year's trading deadline.  And if his rehab doesn't progress like hoped for, they will see him in spring training, 2023.

[nicksaviking]

Short recovery or long, the Twins still now need to identify FIVE starting pitchers for next year. If they truly want to compete, probably no more than one of those should be the internal options. Two max, but they both need to be identified ASAP and they actually need to be good.

I'm worried people will get desperate to keep their jobs and make poor decisions. They still need to go quality over quantity; three Ricky Nolasco contracts would set this team back years.

I think they really need to start over with the roster; I'd rather be bad for a couple of years than mediocre for a decade.

 

[Dodecahedron]

The doctor has done 50 of these?  Wow, what a racket.  Do we have any names?

[mnfireman]

Per MLB Trade Rumors this off-seasons FA pitchers, since we need a couple

Brett Anderson (34)
Chase Anderson (34)
Tyler Anderson (32)
Chris Archer (33)
Jake Arrieta (36)
Trevor Bauer (31) – can opt out of remaining two years, $62MM
Dylan Bundy (29)
Trevor Cahill (33)
Alex Cobb (34)
Johnny Cueto (36) — $22MM club option ($5MM buyout)
Zach Davies (29)
Anthony DeSclafani (32)
Danny Duffy (33)
Mike Fiers (37)
Kevin Gausman (31)
Jon Gray (30)
Zack Greinke (38)
J.A. Happ (39)
Matt Harvey (33)
Andrew Heaney (31)
Felix Hernandez (36)
Rich Hill (42)
Merrill Kelly (32) — $4.25MM club option ($500K buyout)
Clayton Kershaw (34)
Yusei Kikuchi (31) — Mariners can exercise four-year, $66MM extension; if not, Kikuchi has one-year, $13MM player option
Kwang-Hyun Kim (33)
Corey Kluber (36)
Wade LeBlanc (37)
Jon Lester (38)
Michael Lorenzen (30)
Jordan Lyles (31)
Carlos Martinez (30) — $17MM club option ($500K buyout; contract also contains $18MM club option for 2023)
Steven Matz (31)
Wade Miley (35) — $10MM club option ($1MM buyout)
Tommy Milone (35)
Mike Montgomery (32)
Matt Moore (33)
Charlie Morton (38)
Daniel Norris (29)
Ivan Nova (35)
James Paxton (33)
Martin Perez (31)
Michael Pineda (33)
Jose Quintana (33)
Robbie Ray (30)
Garrett Richards (34) — $10MM club option
Tanner Roark (35)
Carlos Rodon (29)
Eduardo Rodriguez (29)
Tyson Ross (35)
Aaron Sanchez (29)
Max Scherzer (37)
Matt Shoemaker (35)
Drew Smyly (33)
Marcus Stroman (30)
Noah Syndergaard (29)
Julio Teheran (31)
Jose Urena (30)
Vince Velasquez (30)
Justin Verlander (39)
Michael Wacha (30)
Adam Wainwright (40)
Alex Wood (31)

[Dodecahedron]

No one interesting on the above list will be coming to the Twins in a known rebuild year.

Besides, almost all of them are too old and would thus just block people.

We will of course talk about Syndergaard anyway until we all fall over in exhaustion, but he only comes to MN this year if the Twins overpay.

The Twins plan, probably, is to trade Buxton for prospects, and potentially trade others for prospects as well.  They'll then fill any holes left over with whoever free agents are still available and want a job near the end of the offseason.  This is a sucky plan that we have all seen too many times, but this is one of those rare times that this is the best plan.

[a-wan]

6 hours ago, Dodecahedron said:

The doctor has done 50 of these?  Wow, what a racket.  Do we have any names?

The surgery and repair of the UCL is the same, but with the internal brace used to support the tendon that is used to replace the old UCL. The internal brace reinforces the newly placed tendon, which may improve return time. Arthrex is the company that makes the braided product, and it is fairly new tech and product. The fact the surgeon has used it 50 times is a good thing, and he’s not going to give names. Rich Hill had his elbow “fixed” with the same product, though he had a repair and not replacement surgery.

if you’re going to be a jerk, at least be a knowledgeable jerk and not just a reactionary jerk.

[Dodecahedron]

23 minutes ago, a-wan said:

The surgery and repair of the UCL is the same, but with the internal brace used to support the tendon that is used to replace the old UCL. The internal brace reinforces the newly placed tendon, which may improve return time. Arthrex is the company that makes the braided product, and it is fairly new tech and product. The fact the surgeon has used it 50 times is a good thing, and he’s not going to give names. Rich Hill had his elbow “fixed” with the same product, though he had a repair and not replacement surgery.

if you’re going to be a jerk, at least be a knowledgeable jerk and not just a reactionary jerk.

I did not ask anything about the surgery.  I already gleaned the details from other posts in the thread, but thank you.

If this doctor has performed this surgery on other MLB or even MiLB players, we would know about them, thus asking for names.  50 surgeries for a "new process" seems ridiculously high, and it's no secret that high school pitchers (often pushed by their parents) have undergone proactive TJ surgery on healthy arms because they feel it gives them the ability to throw harder.  If this doctor has performed this surgery on 50 people that no one knows about, that's suspicious.  Not suspicious as to whether it will work (though it's fair to be suspicious about that too), but suspicious morally.  I'm not sure I'd want a Texas doctor messing with my arm if his resume doesn't pass the smell test, but I'm not Maeda.

If you do not understand what I am saying, always feel free to ask.  There's no reason to jump to conclusions and show your teeth when you simply did not understand my point.

[bean5302]

So it's a hybrid process and they think putting the brace in may improve healing time. I'm not a doctor so I can't say much more about it. I know the brace/tape is supposed to stimulate collagen growth which, in theory, results in the ligament fully attaching to the bone faster.

[a-wan]

14 minutes ago, Dodecahedron said:

I did not ask anything about the surgery.  I already gleaned the details from other posts in the thread, but thank you.

If this doctor has performed this surgery on other MLB or even MiLB players, we would know about them, thus asking for names.  50 surgeries for a "new process" seems ridiculously high, and it's no secret that high school pitchers (often pushed by their parents) have undergone proactive TJ surgery on healthy arms because they feel it gives them the ability to throw harder.  If this doctor has performed this surgery on 50 people that no one knows about, that's suspicious.  Not suspicious as to whether it will work (though it's fair to be suspicious about that too), but suspicious morally.  I'm not sure I'd want a Texas doctor messing with my arm if his resume doesn't pass the smell test, but I'm not Maeda.

If you do not understand what I am asking, always feel free to ask.  There's no reason to jump to conclusions and show your teeth when you simply did not understand my point.

No you made a jerk post, which almost everything you post is. The fact is I gave the context of the surgery because it doesn't change the time frame from healing from the normal surgery perspective but might improve the time frame.

Your post was crude, and uniformed. Sports medicine is so specialized that surgeon isn't going to risk his career lying about the number he has done. 

[Squirrel]

@Heezy1323 ... if you are out and about, reading TD ... your input would be appreciated and invaluable!

[Mike Sixel]

I mean, I literally posted a link to an article about the surgery....up above....from a professional....

[Squirrel]

49 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

I mean, I literally posted a link to an article about the surgery....up above....from a professional....

Yes. I read it. But I would be curious to hear heezy's opinion on this ... or if he has even had any experience with this new procedure. 

[KirbyDome89]

10 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

Short recovery or long, the Twins still now need to identify FIVE starting pitchers for next year. If they truly want to compete, probably no more than one of those should be the internal options. Two max, but they both need to be identified ASAP and they actually need to be good.

I'm worried people will get desperate to keep their jobs and make poor decisions. They still need to go quality over quantity; three Ricky Nolasco contracts would set this team back years.

I think they really need to start over with the roster; I'd rather be bad for a couple of years than mediocre for a decade.

 

Agreed on the first paragraph. Agreed that quality > quantity. 

I'd imagine a roster tear down starts with moving Buxton, and I think that's a mistake. It might be a couple years until they're competitive with the major league quality players they have; I don't see how they can redo the roster and we only endure a couple of bad seasons. 

I get the angst over panic moves. I'm almost more concerned about handing this FO another 3-5 year window as we cross our collective fingers on pitching prospects. 

[a-wan]

3 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

I mean, I literally posted a link to an article about the surgery....up above....from a professional....

She might want to know if he knows if the internal brace works better or the same as with ligaments such as in native UCL repair or ACL repairs when compared to when the brace is used as an adjunct in a reconstruction that uses a tendon to replace the UCL in Tommy John. Or is the brace more likely to lead to good outcomes when used in TJS when something like the gracilis muscle is used?

[Squirrel]

6 minutes ago, a-wan said:

She might want to know if he knows if the internal brace works better or the same as with ligaments such as in native UCL repair or ACL repairs when compared to when the brace is used as an adjunct in a reconstruction that uses a tendon to replace the UCL in Tommy John. Or is the brace more likely to lead to good outcomes when used in TJS when something like the gracilis muscle is used?

heh ... well, that is far more nuanced than I had in mind, I think ... I just wanted to hear what experience he's had with this and what his thoughts are, so ... yeah, I guess?

[PseudoSABR]

9 minutes ago, a-wan said:

She might want to know if he knows if the internal brace works better or the same as with ligaments such as in native UCL repair or ACL repairs when compared to when the brace is used as an adjunct in a reconstruction that uses a tendon to replace the UCL in Tommy John. Or is the brace more likely to lead to good outcomes when used in TJS when something like the gracilis muscle is used?

Stop talking like a professional. Let's preserve the value of Mike's post.

[Seth Stohs]