Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Wieters, who is leading all American League catchers in All-Star voting this year, is out for the season.
Wieters will have Tommy John surgery today on his right elbow, bringing to an end a season in which he got off to a great start, hitting .308 with five home runs and 18 RBIs in 26 games before he went down on May 10. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said last night that “We were hoping to get real lucky today, but I think we all knew where it was headed. 'It really wasn't making a whole lot of progress.”
The plan is for Wieters to be ready for opening day next season. Traditionally, when a position player has Tommy John surgery, the time until they get back on the field is a bit shorter compared with pitchers, so about 9.5 months should be plenty of time for him to get back.
Losing an All-Star player is nevertheless a big blow for the Orioles, who currently sit in third place in the AL East at 35-34.
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[via Yahoo Sports]
