Kip Wells Undergoes Successful Arm Surgery

[ThomasTomasz]

ST. LOUIS (Ticker) - Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Kip Wells underwent successful surgery on his right arm Monday and will be out until possibly the All-Star break, the team announced Tuesday.

Wells underwent a vein graft procedure to fix a blockage in his axillary artery.

The 28-year-old righthander will remain in St. Louis for the next two to three days before returning home to Texas, the team said. He will begin a rehabilitation program within four to six weeks.

Wells was diagnosed with the blockage two weeks ago after complaining of fatigue in his right arm. An angiogram revealed that Wells had complete blockage in the main artery, located under the clavicle, which supplies blood to the upper extremities.

Pittsburgh signed Wells to a one-year contract worth $4.15 million last month, avoiding arbitration. He went 8-18 with a 5.09 ERA in 2005, leading the National League in losses and walks (99).

In seven years in the major leagues, Wells has compiled a 55-69 record with a 4.36 ERA for the Chicago White Sox and Pirates. He recorded a career-high 12 wins for Pittsburgh in 2002 and followed with a career-best 3.28 ERA the following season.

A first-round pick of the White Sox in 1998, Wells was traded to the Pirates in December 2001 in a five-player deal in which Chicago received righthander Todd Ritchie.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slu...v=st&type=lgns

[ThomasTomasz]

Good news for Wells, but the Pirates could go for better. Wells has talent, but has had problems developing consistancy. About ready to head into Free Agency, the Pirates want to get rid of Wells in a trade around the deadline, and get something good in return for him. The problem now is that he'll be back at the All-Star break, and Wells will have very little time to prove he is healthy, and a good starter for a team in the hunt for a pennant. This injury could not be at a worse time for either parties.

[Witlon]

I could see us doing that, assuming the team is underneath the expectations(.500) at the deadline.

Of course, our deadline deals haven't panned out very well in the recent years, so maybe we'd just be better off to get a draft pick for him leaving.