San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain was placed on the disabled list on July 21, retroactive to July 11, due to pain in his right elbow. It was reported on Friday that Cain will likely undergo surgery and miss the remainder of the 2014 season.
The 29-year-old Giants starter received opinions from three doctors this week regarding his pitching elbow, including Dr. James Andres and Dr. David Altchek. All three doctors acknowledged that bone chips in Cain's right elbow were the source of pain and that they need to be removed so he can pitch pain-free. Although Cain said he is still pondering when he would undergo the surgery, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said he expects the starting pitcher to be out for the remainder of the season.
The Giants are glad to hear that Cain's elbow issue didn't have to do with his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). Such an injury would have likely required Tommy John surgery and Cain would have missed the entire 2015 season. Instead, he'll need arthroscopic surgery to remove the bone chips. The right-hander was struggled this year, comprising a 2-7 record with a 4.18 ERA in 15 starts.
"I've had them for 10 years," Cain said of the chips in his elbow, in this SF Gate article. "They've always been there. Now they're mad and letting me know about it. For some reason something happened. They've gotten to a different spot. It's never been a problem before."
"Chances are, if you're putting odds on it, the odds are not going to be that he will pitch," Bochy said of Cain's injury.
Last weekend the Giants traded two prospects for Red Sox starter Jake Peavy, who will now take over Cain's spot in the pitching rotation. Peavy played under Giants current manager Bruce Bochy during his first few years in the MLB on the San Diego Padres. Bochy currently has the Giants 2.5 games back of the division lead at 0.5 games ahead in the wild card race. Luckily for the Giants, Peavy has a career 14-2 record and 2.21 ERA against the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers, so his presence in the rotation late in the season could play a significant role (despite losing to the Dodgers in his first start with the Giants on Sunday).
Nonetheless,Cain will have plenty of time to rehab after the surgery, but it could play a factor moving forward. He has three years left on his current contract and is owed $20 million each season, and the Giants hold a team option for the deal's final year. Hopefully Cain will rebound from the surgery and return back to his former dominant self.
