The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Michael Sanserino tweeted earlier this afternoon that Jeff Karstens had surgery yesterday in Los Angeles.
Jeff Karstens had rotator cuff and labrum surgery yesterday in Los Angeles. He can’t pitch for 10-12 weeks. #Pirates
— Michael Sanserino (@msanserino) June 8, 2013
That means Karstens can not begin rehabilitation until late August or early September and could possibly miss the rest of the 2013 season. Karstens has yet to pitch this season after the team re-signed him in January to a one-year, $2.5 million deal.
Karstens is just one of several Pittsburgh starting pitchers to miss time due to injuries this season, which has opened the door for Gerrit Cole to make his Major League debut on Tuesday against San Francisco at PNC Park.
He was a 2.5 mil insurance policy that didn’t pay off. It was worth the gamble…hopefully he will come back next year for a little less and earn that money back.
– Fred Langford
These procedures often are a KOD (Kiss of Death) for a pitcher. Karstens always seemed like a decent guy, so its good to know that he got a big payday in what could be his last ML season.