Giants' Cain needs elbow surgery, but when?
New York -- probably will have surgery soon to remove bone chips in his pitching elbow, manager said Friday,Ray Ban Bubble Wrap Aviator, ending the pitcher's season and removing a big arm from the rotation as the Giants enter the stretch drive.
"If you're putting odds on it, the odds are going to be that he will (not) pitch," Bochy said, suggesting that the real decision is not whether Cain will have season-ending surgery, but when, and which of three orthopedists who have recommended surgery will perform the procedure.
Cain did not couch it that way. In fact, he played light catch from 60 feet Friday and said he has not ruled out returning to the mound and forestalling surgery until season's end.
"I think a lot depends on what the elbow is going to tell me," Cain said.
However, the Giants expect Cain to have the operation now and regain full health by spring training. Recovery time is three months.
Cain publicly acknowledged for the first time that he has had bone chips for at least a decade. He has been loath to admit to them or consider surgery that would cost him starts. Nor will he admit that they have played a part in his steadily worsening performance. His ERA has risen in each of the past three seasons, to a career-high 4.58 this year.
However, the chips this summer caused inflammation that forced him out of the rotation at the All-Star break.
"I've had them for 10 years," Cain said. "They've always been there. Now they're mad and letting me know that about it. For some reason something happened. They've gotten to a different spot. It's never been a problem before."
Cain is a three-time All-Star and one of the game's highest-paid pitchers after signing a six-year, $127.5 million contract before the 2012 season.
Cain will earn a considerable portion of the Giants' total payroll through 2017, $20 million a season. Thus, while his loss for 2014 would impact the team's pitching depth, his long-term health is paramount.
"Sure, it's a big blow," Bochy said. "We're fortunate we have around to help soften that. Anytime you lose a guy who started out pitching the second game of the season, that's always a blow."
On deck Saturday
at
4:10 p.m. CSNBA
Peavy (0-1) vs.
deGrom (5-5)
Sunday
at Mets
10:10 a.m. CSNBA
Bumgarner (12- vs.
Colon (10-
Monday
at Mets
9:10 a.m. CSNBA
Hudson (8- vs.
Gee (4-4)
Leading off Citi first: Second baseman played in the first baseball game at Citi Field in 2009. He was a freshman at St. John's, which lost to Georgetown before the Mets' opener.
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Henry Schulman is a staff writer. E-mail: Twitter: