Izturis goes for Tommy John surgery

[riverdunesrat]

IZZY

Dodgers SS Izturis to undergo Tommy John surgery

September 8, 2005
LOS ANGELES (Ticker) - All-Star shortstop Cesar Izturis of the Los Angeles Dodgers will undergo Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow September 16 and is expected to be sidelined for at least 10 months.

Izturis is suffering from degenerative arthritis of the right elbow and osteochondrosis (OCD), which is a deterioration of the cartilage in the elbow caused by the loss of blood supply.

Dr. Frank Jobe will transplant a tendon from Izturis' left wrist to form a new ligament in his right elbow and intends to drill holes into the area afflicted by OCD in an attempt to stimulate blood flow.

Izturis, the 2004 National League Gold Glove winner in 2004, will likely not be able to play until next July at the earliest.

The Dodgers are using Oscar Robles at shortstop in Izturis' absence.

The loss of Izturis for an extended period is another blow for the Dodgers, who have suffered a plethora of injuries this season. Former Cy Young Award winner Eric Gagne and outfielders Milton Bradley and J.D. Drew are among the key players sidelined.

Los Angeles (63-76) is in third place in the NL West, 6 1/2 games behind first-place San Diego after winning the division title last year.

Izturis, 25, has been on the disabled list since August 23 with a lower back sprain. He also spent time on the DL in July with a strained right hamstring. Izturis hit .257 with 11 errors in 106 games this season.

The Dodgers signed Izturis to a three-year contract worth $9.9 million prior to the 2005 season.

Updated on Thursday, Sep 8, 2005 11:25 am EDT

[love_that_reefer]

Sucks for the Dodgers that their SS is out for 2006. Thank god for Jose Valentin.