OAKLAND, Calif. — The Twins liked what they saw of Chris Paddack in the right-hander's first five starts, Rocco Baldelli said Wednesday. But their next glimpse of him won't be until 2023.
Paddack, acquired a day before Opening Day in the Taylor Rogers trade, underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday morning in Dallas, the second such procedure he has endured on his pitching elbow.
"The report is that everything went according to plan, smoothly," Baldelli said of Paddack, who posted a 4.03 ERA in five starts before suffering the injury. "He's an ultra-talented young guy with a great work ethic, and I think he has an incredibly bright future with us. But the only way to get there is for him to take care of business right now and get this done."
Paddack had similar surgery in August 2016, when he was a 20-year-old minor-leaguer just one year beyond being drafted. He didn't pitch again for two years, but he was in the major leagues just a year after that.
"You've got to stay positive mentally. It just kind of helps the healing process," Paddack said last week, as he gathered opinions from orthopedics about the pain he felt during his May 8 start in Target Field. "It's just one of those injuries that, unfortunately, you look around [and see] most guys have a scar on their elbow or shoulder, especially pitchers. Guys are throwing 96 to 100 mph, and bodies aren't meant to do that."
The surgery, performed by Rangers surgeon Dr. Keith Meister, will require at least 10 months and possibly longer to recover from. Paddack is likely to report later this summer to Fort Myers, where he can rehab alongside another Twins' starter, Kenta Maeda.
"It's always disappointing when you're going to miss time. Chris has battled through some things in his career, and his health, but he has to get himself strong and right," Baldelli said. "We need the best possible version of him, and the best possible version of Chris Paddack is to get himself healthy and to have this procedure and rehab himself and get back to full strength."
