The New York Yankees: Chase Whitley To Have Tommy John Surgery, Understanding The Procedure

The New York Yankees entered the 2015 season with many questions. What will the Yankees do without Derek Jeter? How will the Yankees handle Alex Rodriguez chasing history? How will the Yankees starting rotation be?

Starting pitchers Ivan Nova and Masahiro Tanaka are on the disabled list. Now, Chase Whitley joins them. Whitley had a record of 1-2 with a 4.19 ERA. He made four starts for the Yankees this season. Whitley has been a major league pitcher since 2014 when he joined the New York Yankees. The 2015 season is now over for Whitley. He will be undergoing Tommy John surgery in New York.

Tommy John surgery was developed by Dr. Frank Jobe in 1974 for Tommy John, a former pitcher for the New York Yankees. At the time, the surgery was very experimental. It was not likely that John would every pitch again. The procedure worked. Tommy John went on to pitch in the major leagues until 1989.

Now, Tommy John surgery is not as risky as it was before. Yankees starting pitcher, Ivan Nova, had the surgery last year. Nova is expected to return next month. For major league pitchers, the surgery has become quite common. In 2014, one-third of all major league pitchers had had Tommy John surgery.

Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction is the medical term for Tommy John surgery. The ligament is on the medial side of the elbow joint.

During the surgery, a tendon from somewhere in the patient’s body is used to reconstruct the torn ligament. Commonly, the tendon used is from the forearm. A hole is drilled through the ulna and radius. The tendon is pushed through these holes and anchored down. Sometimes, the remaining parts of the UCL are also attached. Rehabilitation from the surgery can take 12 to 18 months. The surgery is so successful that pitchers can come back throwing harder than before the original injury.

Because of the fact that pitchers come back throwing harder, student-athletes were trying to get elective Tommy John surgery.

Now that the New York Yankees have three starting pitchers on the disabled list, will they be able to keep their lead in the American League East? The Yankees have never been a team known for great starting pitching. The Yankees have relied on power. Lately, the Yankees have been able to develop starting pitchers in their farm system. They are going to have to rely on these pitchers if the starting rotation keeps going down with injuries.

Do you think the New York Yankees will be able to stay in first place in their division and make the playoffs?

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