White Sox Pitcher John Danks Shoulder Surgery was a Success [MLB News]
By Scott Merkin of MLB News
John Danks underwent successful surgery early Monday morning at Rush University Medical Center to arthroscopically repair a capsular tear and minor debridements of the rotator cuff and biceps in his left shoulder. A team of surgeons from Midwest Orthopedics at Rush, led by Dr. Anthony Romeo and Dr. Greg Nicholson with assistance from Dr. Charles Bush-Joseph and Dr. Nick Verma, performed the procedure.
The best news, for both the southpaw and the White Sox, is that the surgery revealed Danks to have a normal labrum. Although shoulders can be a tricky area in regard to the repair process, White Sox manager Robin Ventura seemed satisfied that Danks received the best possible news.
“Again, this is the part of the shoulder that they are not as worried about,” Ventura said. “If it was labrum or something like that, that would be worse. It’s good news. He’s ready to go.
“He has your normal pitcher’s stuff, but nothing that they felt they had to fix. I know he’s pretty relieved as far as there was something there and they fixed it and he’ll be able to pitch next year. He should be ready in Spring Training.”
Danks will be immobilized in a sling for four weeks. As Ventura pointed out, he is expected to be fully recovered by the start of 2013 Spring Training, when he will be on a regular schedule.
The 27-year-old has been out of action since defeating the Cubs at Wrigley Field on May 19. After he went through extensive rehab and throwing programs to try to stabilize the shoulder and nothing produced significant improvement, it was announced on July 31 that he would miss the rest of the season and have the exploratory surgery.
Danks talked to MLB.com last week in Minneapolis about the season not going anywhere near as planned after he’d agreed to a five-year, $65 million extension prior to this campaign. The intense competitor added that the injury struggles will serve as a driving force and “fuel the fire” for future success. He reiterated those points talking to the media on Sunday before the surgery.
“We’ll get it fixed and get back,” Danks said. “It’s something I have to deal with. It’s not easy, I know that. But I’m willing to do what I have to do to try to get ready. It’s been a frustrating last couple of years. I’m looking forward to just being healthy again. This is what we have to do.
“None of it is fun. Like I said, I’m ready for it to just be taken care of, and I feel like that will help us take the next step to getting ready for next year.”
Jordan Danks, the younger brother of John who also plays for the White Sox, hadn’t talked to John on Monday but heard from their mother that the surgery went well. He knows the frustration felt by his brother, but especially the past two months, and believes John will quickly put this injury behind him with an unwavering commitment on the road back.
“I know what injuries are all about. I had a couple when I was in college,” Jordan said. “You think you are good and then you go out there and set yourself back and so, I mean, it’s a frustrating thing, especially with the competitiveness in both of us.
“Now that he’s out of surgery and found out what was wrong, it’s about working hard and rehabbing and getting back to where he was. I know he’ll work hard and he’ll be back sooner rather than later. He and I work out together in the offseason and I just know the competitiveness and he’s already itching to get back on the field. I know he will work twice as much.”
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