Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Daniel Hudson is a rarity in Major League Baseball: He returned to the game after undergoing not one but two Tommy John surgeries on his elbow.
Fellow D-backs pitcher Rubby De La Rosa is trying to avoid a second Tommy John surgery of his own by scheduling a stem cell injection Tuesday as an alternative means for repairing his injured right elbow.
"De La Rosa visited Monday with surgeon Dr. James Andrews, who concluded that the right-hander did not need another operation," ESPN reported, noting Andrews performed Tommy John surgery on De La Rosa five years ago.
D-backs athletic trainer Ken Crenshaw said the odds of pitchers returning to Major League Baseball after one Tommy John surgery are 75-80 percent, but the chances of returning after two surgeries are just 40 percent.
"I think Dr. Andrews' feelings were, Let's just save our biggest bullet for last. Let's try this option,'" Crenshaw said, according to ESPN.
The Diamondbacks acquired De La Rosa in a trade with the Boston Red Sox after the 2014 season. He has a 4.26 ERA in his second season with the D-backs but has spent roughly half the year on the disabled list.
