NewsProspect Sizemore undergoes surgery
Second baseman has fractured left ankle repairedBy Jason Beck / MLB.com
10/27/09 4:02 PM EST
DETROIT -- Tigers prospect Scott Sizemore underwent surgery Tuesday to repair his fractured left ankle, throwing another wrinkle into his preparation for a possible ascension to the big leagues.Sizemore suffered the injury during a game in the Arizona Fall League last Thursday, when a hard slide into second base sent him tumbling on a potential double-play throw. The play fractured his left tibia, immediately ending his AFL season, and the Tigers sent him back to Detroit for an examination to get a better look at the damage.
That exam, on Monday by Dr. Stephen Lemos, revealed the need for an operation. The surgery at Detroit Medical Center addressed the fractured tibia and instability that went with it. Dr. Lemos also inserted screws to stabilize the ankle joint.
According to the Tigers, Sizemore will spend two weeks with a splint on his ankle, then a CAM boot to immobilize the ankle and foot. If all goes well, doctors will remove the screws in January.
While the surgery will obviously alter Sizemore's offseason rehab -- before tendon damage was discovered, the Tigers hoped the simple fracture could be healed with six weeks in a protective boot -- Sizemore is still expected to be ready for baseball activity by the time Spring Training opens next February. He'll begin full weight-bearing activity once the screws are out.
Sizemore, who will turn 25 years old in January, batted .308 with 39 doubles, 17 home runs and 66 RBIs in 130 games between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo this season. Defensively, he committed 21 errors in 118 games at second base at the two levels, along with a .966 fielding percentage and 100 double plays. However, he also posted a 5.05 range factor -- putouts plus assists per game -- a number just under the 5.09 mark Placido Polanco posted in Detroit this year.
Dombrowski said in his end-of-season remarks that the team believes Sizemore is ready for the Major Leagues, and that he'll get the first chance to take over at second base if the Tigers can't re-sign Polanco, which appears to be a likely scenario.
The Tigers sent Sizemore to the Arizona Fall League for his second stint in three years mostly for more defensive work at second base.
Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
