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Cardinals Furcal Will Have “Tommy John” Surgery Next Week
(KTVI) – The St. Louis Cardinals announced Thursday that shortstop Rafael Furcal will undergo surgery on his right elbow next week.
Furcal, 35, has been limited since reporting to Spring Training. He did begin swinging from the left side last week, but that may have increased the right elbow’s aggravation.
Furcal opted not to undergo surgery late last season when he partially tore of his ulnar collateral ligament, opting for rest and rehab in the offseason.
Furcal will have another MRI on his elbow soon. If it’s decided that surgery is required, it would be a four- to six-month recovery. Furcal is in the final season of a two-year, $14 million contract he signed in December 2011.
Without Furcal, the Cardinals would likely turn to Pete Kozma and Ronny Cedeno at short. The team could also consider an outside replacement.
