Pitcher Tyler Wells of the Orioles will likely recover from his elbow surgery more quickly than Tommy John.
BALTIMORE – Tyler Wells had surgery to repair a broken elbow ligament, which partly led to the start of his Orioles career. Wells has now had a second operation, around five years after the first. A few weeks after the team declared he would miss the rest of the season, Wells underwent surgery on Monday to repair his ulnar collateral ligament. However, Wells did not receive Tommy John elbow reconstruction, which is the most popular technique to repair the UCL, unlike his first procedure, which took place prior to Baltimore selecting him in the Rule 5 draft.
Wells chose the internal brace treatment instead, a novel Tommy John substitute that is becoming more and more popular among MLB pitchers due to its potential for a shortened recovery period.
Among the best surgeons doing internal brace treatments is Dr. Keith Meister. He operated at Trinity Park Surgery Center in Arlington, Texas, doing Means’ and Wells’ treatments. MLB pitchers Lucas Giolito and Spencer Strider are two examples of those who recently choose to wear an internal brace. Meister operated on Strider this spring, and the Braves are hoping that the right-hander with a strong throw will return early in the 2019 campaign. Strider underwent a revision procedure after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2019. Though it’s unknown what the Orioles think of Wells’ timeframe, it’s possible that he can return to the mound next summer given the speedier recovery period that the internal brace operation can offer. As a member of the Minnesota Twins, Wells missed the minor league seasons of 2019 and 2020.
Wells was put on the IL due to elbow soreness following three starts. The explanation given by manager Brandon Hyde was “precautionary reasons.” “We’re really confident he’s going to be OK and it’s not going to be too long,” Hyde stated in April. However, Wells’ attempts to start a throwing program didn’t go well, so the organization concluded that surgery was the best option. Wells has three more arbitration years left before he becomes a free agent.
The Orioles had the fifth-fewest number of injured days in Major League Baseball at the end of the 2023 season, thanks to the absence of seven pitchers on the IL. They have already had seven pitchers placed on the injured list less than halfway into the 2024 season: Cionel Pérez, Grayson Rodriguez, Dean Kremer, Danny Coulombe,.
