Posted at 2:38 p.m., Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Baseball: Red Sox reliever Donnelly to have surgery
Associated Press
BOSTON — Boston Red Sox reliever Brendan Donnelly will have season-ending surgery on his right elbow, the team announced after acquiring Eric Gagne from the Rangers.Dr. Lewis Yocum will perform the tendon replacement surgery in the next two weeks.
Donnelly went on the 15-day disabled list on June 17 with what the team said was a strained right forearm. A month later, he saw Yocum, and the team said the original diagnosis was confirmed.
Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said the Donnelly knew he was headed for season-ending surgery, but kept it quiet until after the July 31 trade deadline. The Red Sox bolstered an already strong bullpen by acquiring Gagne from the Texas Rangers for starter Kason Gabbard and two prospects.
Donnelly was 2-1 with a 3.05 ERA in 20 2-3 innings over 27 appearances before ending his season on June 11.
"This was a tough guy who was pitching with a pretty abnormal elbow for a long time," Epstein said. "There has never been a more clear-cut case of a candidate for Tommy John surgery than Donnelly right now."
In a six-year career, he was 25-9 with a 2.88 ERA.
