NewsWeeks undergoes surgery on left wrist
Brewers second baseman has metal anchors inserted
By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com
05/20/09 8:10 PM ET
HOUSTON -- Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks underwent successful surgery Wednesday to anchor a tendon in his left wrist and will have the joint immobilized for the next two months. "Weeks surgery went extremely well," Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash announced in a milestone of sorts, the club's first news released via the social networking site Twitter. Phoenix-based specialist Dr. Don Sheridan performed the surgery, in which the torn sheath that is supposed to hold a tendon in place was replaced by metal anchors. Weeks had the same procedure on his other wrist in 2006. Weeks will wear a splint for the next two weeks, then a long cast for the six weeks after that. The expected recovery time is 4-6 months, but unlike pitcher Yovani Gallardo, who underwent knee surgery last May and was back on the mound before the end of September, there is no chance that Weeks will play again this season, general manager Doug Melvin said Tuesday. Since the news broke Monday that Weeks would be out for the season, he has been in teammates' thoughts. Bench coach Willie Randolph, who worked extensively with Weeks on his defense since the start of Spring Training, left a voice mail. "I just told him that if he needed to or wanted to talk about anything, I'm here," Randolph said. "I wanted to let him know I was here for him and that I had my share of injuries, although nothing as devastating as this. "It's just very disappointing, because I think he knew what he was on track to doing. He worked his butt off all spring, and to have it cut short just when he was ready to get into the meat of the season, I really feel bad for the kid. When you work with someone every day, you get to see what a guy is made of." Randolph has the same question many fans do: Why can't Weeks keep his hands healthy? "He just works so hard, and you see that violent swing," Randolph said. "It's so quick, and you say to yourself, 'Something's got to give.' I've watched a lot of kids hit, and the torque he creates is as violent as anyone I've ever seen." Randolph does not believe that Weeks' trouble avoiding hand and wrist issues -- he also underwent a procedure in 2005 to repair a torn ligament at the base of his left thumb -- has anything to do with the "waggle" that precedes Weeks' swing. "If you watch very closely, he doesn't really go from the [waggle] right into the swing. He actually stops before he swings," Randolph said. "So I don't think it's that." Weeks will rejoin the team Monday, when it returns home for a Memorial Day game against the Cardinals. He'll be monitored by medical officials for about a week to make sure there are no signs of infection and will then be allowed to go home to Florida. "I definitely think he should be allowed to go home if he wants to," said shortstop J.J. Hardy, who exchanged text messages with Weeks. "When I hurt my ankle in '05, the worst part was being around the team and not being able to do anything. It's a terrible feeling."Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
