Strasburg Needs a Tommy John

Stephen Strasburg, the National rookie pitcher, will need Tommy John surgery after suffering a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow.

Strasburg was initially upset by the news, but has become focused on his rehabilitation and sees the surgery as the first step towards that.

Strasburg will be sidelined until late 2011 or may be out for the entire 2011 season, but is getting a second opinion for his elbow.

Tommy John surgery is a procedure where the torn ligament is replaced by a tendon from elsewhere in the body usually in the forearm or hamstring. It was named after the pitcher Tommy John, who was the first athlete to successfully have the procedure done.

Hopefully, Strasburg will be another successful patient of the surgery and will return to the mound to fulfill a promising career as a pitcher. In his debut, he set a National record with 14 strikeouts, but has been struggling of late with his injury and has finished his season with 92 strikeouts in 68 innings.

Source: Yahoo!