LHP Zack Britton is expected to return to New York tomorrow and will undergo orthoscopic surgery to remove a bone chip from his left elbow in the upcoming days. The surgery is expected to be performed by Dr. Christopher Ahmad at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) March 9, 2021
Ugh. Although no timetable has been provided yet, Zack Britton is going to be sidelined for a while following surgery to remove a bone chip from his elbow today. He experienced some soreness after throwing a bullpen yesterday, which prompted the MRI and now surgery.
For what it’s worth, Mets’ reliever Seth Lugo had a bone chip removed from his elbow in mid-February. He’s going to resume throwing around Opening Day, per reports. I’d guess Lugo will be ready by May, which is about a 2-3 month timetable. Figure something similar for the time Britton will be out.
On the bright side, this could have been much worse. It’s not Tommy John surgery. Britton should pitch again at some point this season. Fortunately, the Yankees bullpen is pretty deep and can weather the storm.
JJ Dools
Bone chip being removed seems like the best case scenario, aside from no actual problem. It is not structural damage and I imagine it means he can be back this season.
Mungo
I’d assume he’ll be back for the second half of the season in July, but one can hope maybe June.