FORT MYERS, Fla. — By the time Pablo López received a second opinion on his elbow from Dr. Keith Meister, he was already fairly certain he knew what the surgeon would say. In his head, he knew there was only “a tiny, tiny percentage,” chance that he would hear anything other a recommendation that he undergo Tommy John surgery.
The unlikely occurrence didn’t happen.
The Twins’ ace is headed for the season-ending elbow surgery on Wednesday with Meister in Texas to repair a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament.
“We knew what we were looking at,” López said. “I think I’m a pretty realistic person. I know what’s in front of me for the most part, so having made a decision, it’s ironic in a way — it feels good because I know in the long run, it’s going to be the best.”
But that doesn’t make it any easier.
López said the reality of the situation still hasn’t quite hit him yet. He’s still walking into a clubhouse environment he described as “contagious.” But next week, he will have surgery, and in the months that follow, he will be rehabbing while his teammates play an entire season without him.
He still needs to map out with team physical therapists and trainers where he will be this season — in the past, he noted some rehabbing players split time between Minneapolis and Fort Myers — but being around the team would provide both value for the team and the pitcher.
For López, still being around his teammates, he believes, will help him push through a grueling rehab process that will consume the next year of his life. For his teammates, there’s a lot to be gained from having such a knowledgeable, diligent veteran still around in the clubhouse, even if he can’t be contributing on the field.
“He’s the first one here every morning, and (teammates) can go over and sit and talk to him and lean on him. That’s important,” manager Derek Shelton said. “There’s no better guy in that clubhouse. So, to have a person of that quality in there, not just the pitcher but the human being, I think it’s important for our group.”
While López still hopes to impact this year’s Twins’ team in any way he can, he said he plans to use this year to grow mentally. López had Tommy John surgery in 2013 as a teenager while he was still in the minor leagues and he still thinks of his season rehabbing — 2014 — as one of the most influential of his career.
“I’m going to try to evolve in many, many areas,” he said. “It’s going to be hard. It’s going to be challenging. Getting the game taken away from you, it’s the least fun thing as an athlete, as a baseball player. But there’s going to be opportunities for growth and I’m going to be looking to take advantage of that.”
Briefly
Joe Ryan will take the mound when the Twins begin Grapefruit League play on Saturday. The game against the Boston Red Sox, which starts at 12:05 p.m. CT, will be broadcast on Twins.TV. The game will also be available on MLB Network. … Most of the Twins’ starters are expected to play, including Byron Buxton. Buxton is likely to play a little bit more early on in camp than usual as he prepares to participate in the World Baseball Classic. Shelton said the duo sat down early in camp to outline what his schedule should look like. Shelton also leaned on Justin Morneau, who played in four different WBCs for Canada, for advice.
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