News
Bedard's surgery reveals labrum tear
Lefty's future in Seattle uncertain as free agency looms
By Christian Caple / MLB.com
08/14/09 8:33 PM EST
SEATTLE -- The injury-plagued career of Mariners pitcher Erik Bedard just took its most disastrous turn yet. Arthroscopic surgery on Friday revealed a torn labrum in Bedard's left shoulder, and the southpaw won't be able to return to baseball-related activities for four-six months. Dr. Lewis Yocum, who performed the surgery, also repaired an inflamed bursa during the surgery. Bedard will be in a sling for up to three weeks. The pain in Bedard's shoulder forced him to the disabled list twice this season, and Yocum opted to perform exploratory surgery after examining Bedard earlier in the week. Bedard had surgery to remove a cyst from the same shoulder last season but was never fully healthy in 2009. "They found the problem, is the biggest thing," Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said. "The MRI didn't show a whole lot. Go in there, there's a labrum tear. The bursa's inflamed. Those are all good things to get some finality to it, and now we have a plan of attack to try to get him better." This news will only fuel speculation that Bedard has thrown his last pitch as a Mariner. A free agent after this season, Bedard was the subject of trade rumors prior to the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline but was placed on the DL after a particularly painful outing on July 26, limiting his prospects. And now that it will be winter before Bedard can throw a baseball again, the already slim chances of Seattle re-signing him seem to have decreased even further. "We'll leave that up to [Mariners GM] Jack [Zduriencik] and Erik and his agent," Wakamatsu said. "He's an awfully good pitcher. I think he's pretty happy here." Zduriencik said Bedard had told him several times this season that he wasn't feeling well, but that he wanted to continue to compete. "We support him," Zduriencik said. "We are behind him and we'll see where this takes us. This is Day 1 of recovery for him. He's still under our clock. We'll see as we move forward. We will entertain a lot of things." Bedard, who came to the Mariners in exchange for five players prior to the 2008 season, has made 30 starts in his two-year Seattle career. He's 11-7 with a 3.24 ERA in that time, averaging just over five innings per start. "I hope this has been an experience that he considers positive," Zduriencik said. "He realizes that the people here support him -- the coaching staff, the front office staff. We support this guy. It's good to hear that he said he would like to come back. That's good news." The news was better, though, regarding the health of another injured Mariner. Urologist Rahul Desai examined the severely contused right testicle of Adrian Beltre on Friday and declared surgery to be unnecessary. Desai recommended that Beltre not participate in any strenuous activity for the next week, and after that, the third baseman will be able to progress back toward baseball activity. Beltre injured the testicle on a hard ground ball in the ninth inning of Wednesday's 14-inning game against the White Sox. He is eligible to return from the 15-day DL on Aug. 28. "He should be ready by the 28th and come off ready to play," Wakamatsu said. Injured shortstop Jack Wilson, who left Wednesday's game with a Grade 1 hamstring tear, is still considered day-to-day. Wilson said he felt better on Friday than he had the day before, and the team is targeting Tuesday's game against Detroit as a possible return date.Christian Caple is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
