Welp.
We thought we’d dodged the bullet last month, but it seems that those pessimistic O’s fans who were eager to put the word “yet” behind Dr. James Andrews’ declaration that Matt Wieters was “not a candidate for Tommy John Surgery” were right after all.
The Orioles’ backstop, who hasn’t played in a game since May 10, will go under Dr. Andrews’ knife tomorrow, the team officially announced, and will be on the shelf until spring training of 2015, at the very least (nine months recovery time is anticipated). Wieters was unhappy with the progress of his injured elbow over the past several weeks, and so scheduled the follow-up consultation with the most feared name in sports medicine (for fans).
It’s extremely disappointing for O’s fans, as Wieters looked to be finally coming into his own with the bat in 2014, hitting .308/.339/.500 through 26 games. His .839 OPS would have been easily the highest of his career, and well above the .704 he posted in 2013.
With the Birds’ offense struggling to score runs, Wieters’ bat has been sorely missed. Unfortunately, it will continue to be missed for the duration of 2014. 2015 is Wieters’ final year under contract, so his missing the great majority of ’14 just throws another wrench into any potential negotiations.
Here’s to a quick and full recovery, Matt. We’ll miss ya.
