Jays reveal Romero had elbow surgery
Left-hander Ricky Romero pitched with abnormal soreness in his elbow during the season but did not tell Toronto Blue Jays officials about it.
When the one-time ace of the staff underwent elbow surgery two weeks ago, the team kept that news a secret.
On Tuesday, the Jays finally issued a news release revealing Romero had arthroscopic surgery to “clean up” his elbow. The six-week recovery time will not affect his preparation for spring training, the team said.
The relatively routine surgery followed a rough season in which Romero began to feel unusual soreness on the outside of his elbow.
He said he could not recall exactly when it started, but it was “a little more soreness than usual” and it “built up little by little.” He underwent his usual post-start treatments in the trainers’ room, but “I never made it a big deal,” he said in a conference call Tuesday.
After three solid seasons, Romero endured a disastrous year in 2012.
He made his usual 32 starts, but went 9-14 with a 5.77 ERA. His ERA was the worst among major-league starters.
Romero said he was determined to “get out of my own mess” and not use his sore elbow as an excuse.