Orioles LHP Wada Seeks Second Opinion On Ailing Elbow
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Orioles pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada will get a second opinion on his ailing left elbow from orthopedist Dr. Lewis Yocum.
Wade was recently diagnosed with ligament damage after undergoing a magnetic resonance angiogram. The Japanese left-hander intends to visit Yocum to determine whether the ligament is severely torn and if surgery will be required.
Yocum examined Wada before the pitcher signed a two-year, $8.15 million contract during the offseason. Since that time, Wada's elbow has evidently worsened.
"There's some changes there from the original physical," manager Buck Showalter said Wednesday. "I think after Dr. Yocum sees him, they'll make a decision about what way to proceed."
Wada experienced elbow discomfort in February and was placed on the disabled list before the season.
"What he's having now is in a different place," Showalter said. "This is a different side of the elbow."
Wada has yet to make his major league debut, and it probably won't happen anytime soon. But the Orioles remain hopeful.
"No one's definitively said (surgery) is what has to happen. He could rehab this thing and be back," Showalter said. "There's always the potential of surgery, and if that happens, the way things are nowadays, he could be pitching for us again. Either way, I'm going to stay positive on it. I still think we're going to get what he's got to offer."
In other news, the Orioles placed second baseman Robert Andino on the paternity list Wednesday and filled his spot on the roster by recalling right-hander Jason Berken from Triple-A Norfolk.
Andino's wife gave birth to a girl on Wednesday, the couple's third child. The first two were boys.
Berken had a 0.60 ERA in three starts for Norfolk but will work as a reliever with Baltimore.
"I'm just here to pitch," Berken said. "Anytime they need me, whether it's one (inning), or five, whatever. I don't care."
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
