Josh Beckett will undergo season ending surgery this week to remove a rib that has been impinging on a nerve and causing numbness in his arm and hand for several years. The surgery is serious, and potentially puts the 33-year-old right handed starter’s career in jeopardy.
Beckett spoke to the Los Angeles Times saying the following, “I’d try to drive with my right hand and my right hand would go numb. I’d throw a bullpen, and I couldn’t feel my hand.”
The surgery is similar to the one undergone by Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter last year. Carpenter came back to pitch down the stretch for the Cardinals and in the playoffs, but has been unable to pitch this year. Carpenter still hopes to come back again though.
Beckett also hopes to come back. He believes he’ll be able to get into a throwing routine before the end of the season, but states that actually pitching before spring training is unlikely.
“Being ready for next year, and for spring training, without any limitations is probably the most realistic goal,” said Beckett.
The injury has clearly effected Beckett on the mound. The former Florida Marlins and Boston Red Sox ace has struggled of late. This year he is 0-5 with a 5.19 earned-run average. Since the beginning of 2012, he is 7-19 with a 4.76 ERA in 214 innings pitched.
Beckett had hoped that rest and rehab would cure the problem, and he would be able to avoid going under the knife. However it became clear in the last week that the problem would not just correct itself, and that surgical intervention was necessary if Beckett was to have any hope of ever being an effective pitcher going forward.
Beckett was acquired from the Red Sox in last years late season blockbuster that also saw the team acquire Adrian Gonzalez, and Carl Crawford.
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