Athletics closer Octavio Dotel will have reconstructive elbow surgery as soon as possible, despite receiving recommendations from four doctors that he try to rehabilitate the injury first.
``Octavio does not feel he can pitch with the level of pain he was pitching with,'' A's trainer Larry Davis said Thursday. ``Everybody's tolerance level is different. Octavio feels like he's tried long enough. ... He's been throwing a long time and is tired of recurrent tendinitis.''
Dotel will be sidelined at least a year and possibly up to two years. That is a major concern for him because his contract is up after this season.
``I do worry about it,'' he said. ``This year was one of my important years, especially because I (will be) a free agent. Hey, things happen. I bet I'm not the first one to go through this situation. And I won't be the last.''