Back in 2013, Mets fans were shocked and depressed when Matt Harvey missed the remainder of the regular season with a torn UCL. Initially, it seemed Harvey did not want the surgery, but eventually he agreed to go through with it. Fortunately for Harvey, after a lengthy rehabilitation process with no setbacks, he eventually returned and became an important part of a 2015 rotation that went all the way to the World Series.
While rehabilitating, he worked alongside former Mets starter Jeremy Hefner. In 2012 and 2013, Hefner had performed better than expected with the Mets, and he finally began to fill a flexible role in the organization as a spot starter. The team even tendered him a contract while he was rehabbing from his own Tommy John surgery. However, disaster struck, and Hefner would need yet another Tommy John surgery. He would miss all of the 2014 and 2015 seasons. The Mets would non-tender him, and he eventually agreed to a minor league contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.
These are just two of the countless stories we have seen with the Mets when it comes to Tommy John surgery. Not too long ago, we heard how Jacob deGrom learned how to throw the change-up from former Mets ace Johan Santana while he was rehabilitating from his own Tommy John surgery. It was a great story, and it was something that forever changed the trajectory of deGrom’s career. There have been other Mets who have had their careers altered due to the procedure.
At one point in his career, Bobby Parnell was deemed the Mets closer of the future. In 2013, he took over the role and he recorded 22 saves. In 2014, he would be named the Opening Day closer. It lasted all of one inning as Parnell was shut down with elbow pain and was diagnosed with a torn UCL that required Tommy John surgery. He tried to come back in 2015, but he did not have the same velocity and his command had abandoned him. The Mets showed no interest in re-signing him and Parnell ended up signing a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers. After six major league appearances that saw him post a 6.75 ERA, Parnell was released that August.
Of course, the biggest name with the Mets to have issues post-Tommy John surgery was Zack Wheeler. Right before the 2015 season was set to begin, Wheeler was diagnosed with a torn UCL. He would have the surgery, however his rehab process was fraught with various setbacks. He was initially slated to rejoin the Mets starting rotation around the 2016 All Star break. But instead after beginning a rehab assignment he threw just one inning for Class-A St. Lucie before being shut down for the season. Now, the Mets are discussing whether they should move him to the bullpen for at least the start of the season.
For some pitchers like Hefner, Parnell, and Wheeler, Tommy John Surgery hasn’t gone as smoothly as it has for so many other documented cases. But there now may be a new breakthrough in how orthopedic surgeons go about repairing a torn elbow ligament.
Derrick Gould of the St. Louis Dispatch reports that Cardinals right-hander Seth Maness has undergone a new surgical procedure called “primary repair” which is described as “a repair and buttressing of the existing ligament at the bone, and not the complete reconstruction of the ligament.”
Like Dodgers left-hander Tommy John before him, Seth Maness is now a trailblazer that may have this new surgery named after him. The physician that performed the surgery, Dr. George Paletta, spoke about the procedure saying:
“In select cases of UCL tears, with this technique, they have the real potential to not miss the next year. This is potentially a huge stride forward in three ways. First, early results show a high success rate. Second, a return to play is cut by 40 percent. That’s a huge factor. We are able to accelerate the return-to-throwing (rehab) program for the athletes. With this technique at the end of 2016 we have a pitcher who is ready to pitch in games by opening day.”
“And the third way, as a consequence of this, in the right setting, one would feel more confident moving to surgery early on.”
Believe it or not, Maness is a week away from being able to take the mound after a little more than seven months after the surgery. It is expected the free agent reliever will be ready to pitch on Opening Day. Once he takes the mound, there is going to be a lot of interest in his performance.
Dr. Jeffrey Dugas, another surgeon who performs this surgery and the managing partner at the Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopedic Center in Birmingham, AL noted there is now a lot of interest in how Maness performs post-surgery:
“People are watching this and it’s an interesting thing for all of us. There is a lot that we need to learn from Seth, a lot that we need to learn from all of the guys (who have had it). We need the data. There are still so many hurdles to go over, but we’re excited to watch what is going to happen because of what is possible. We’re going to follow him very closely.”
Therein lies the rub. We had gotten to the point with Tommy John surgery where it had felt almost routine; where we looked at pitchers like Masahiro Tanaka and wondered why he just didn’t get the surgery. The “primary repair” or Seth Maness Surgery is far from that point. However, if Maness has a strong 2017 season, and a couple of more pitchers follow his path, and have similar success stories, the treatment for torn UCLs may have been revolutionized.
