Twins right-handed pitcher Mike Pelfrey will visit Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion after he was diagnosed with irritation in the ulnar nerve of his surgically repaired elbow.
The Pioneer Press reports Pelfrey revealed he had experienced tingling in the fingers of his right hand during spring training. He reported similar tingling in his fingers prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery on May 1, 2012.
An MRI on Pelfrey’s shoulder and elbow did not reveal any structural damage, according to Twins assistant general manager Rob Antony.
More on #MNTwin RHP Mike Pelfrey, who was diagnosed with irritation in his ulnar nerve in his elbow: http://t.co/NII1XPIBMo
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) May 30, 2014
He will see Dr. James Andrews to seek a second opinion.
Pelfrey is on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right groin. He complained of shoulder soreness after his most recent rehab start with Triple-A Rochester.
“They looked at his shoulder and it looked great so they looked at his elbow and there was a little bit of irritation in the ulnar nerve, which was transposed when he had the surgery,” said Antony. “They said that’s not abnormal or a major thing. They’re hoping to treat it with anti-inflammatories.”
The Twins re-signed Pelfrey, in the offseason, to a two-year, $11 million deal. He was 5-13 with a 5.19 ERA in 29 starts for them last season.
Pelfrey’s struggles continued into this season, he is 0-3 with a 7.99 ERA in five starts.
Hard Ball Talk summed it up like this:
Pelfrey was so awful in five starts before going on the disabled list – including more walks (18) than strikeouts (10) in 24 innings – that it’s certainly not surprising to learn he has multiple arm problems.
According to MLB.com Twins blogger Rhett Bollinger, Pelfrey has seen his velocity dip sharply and the Twins hope they’ve found the root of the problem.
“Hopefully we’re getting to the bottom of it with him,” Antony said. “We’re going to try to treat it with anti-inflammatories and if he needs surgery, it’ll be very minor and just clean up some scar tissue.”
