The original prognosis on Minnesota Twins' right handed pitcher Scott Baker was a surgery to remove scar tissue in his throwing elbow that would only require him to miss six months, which means he would have missed this season, but should have been fine by Spring Training 2013.
Unfortunately, when Baker received a second opinion by orthopedic surgeon David Altchek, an MRI showed that Baker had damage to his ulnar collateral ligament and would need Tommy John surgery. Tommy John rehabilitation requires at least 12 months for full recovery and can sometimes take up to 16 months.
According to TwinsCities.com, Baker had the surgery surgery on Tuesday. It's a safe guess he will not be ready by Opening Day 2013, which means the Twins may decide not to exercise Baker's $9.25 million option for next season.
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