After three months of diligent rehab, reaching every goal, Taylor Buchholz hit a dead end today. The Rockies’ reliever will undergo elbow ligament-transplant surgery either Wednesday or Thursday in Denver after an MRI revealed a tear.
“I was hoping this could be avoided. That’s why we waited this long,” Buchholz said. “Looking back, I guess you could say I could have had this done three months ago. But we were hopeful.”
The normal recovery time for the surgery is 10-12 months. Pitchers usually come back stronger from the operation, but it takes time to regain their pre-surgery command.
“It’s a little scary of course, but I am optimistic. But I know some guys have come back better than ever.”
Buchholz said he felt grabbing during his last bullpen session Saturday, which was the final test before embarking on a rehab assignment that could have had him back in the big leagues right after the all-star break. He strained his elbow ligament in spring training and hadn’t pitched in a game since the last week of February.
Even as Buchholz worked out relentlessly to come back, he knew this was a possibility. That his curveball is his best pitch, which can place extra torque on the elbow, only complicated his return.
He could have added a huge boost to the Rockies’ resurgent bullpen if able to regain last year’s form. He was one of the best setup in baseball, going 6-6 with a 2.17 ERA and 21 holds. His loss creates added importance on Matt Daley to continue his strong season.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
