Lee on 60-day DL

All-Star left-hander Cliff Lee (Benton, Arkansas Razorbacks) was placed on the 60-day disabled list by the Philadelphia Phillies in an attempt to rehabilitate an elbow injury without surgery. The team announced Monday that an operation was recommended. Lee, 36, has a torn common flexor tendon and was told last week to stop throwing. It’s the third time he tries to recover from the injury non-surgically. “We tried twice and it didn’t work, so it’s fairly likely that it will remain the same,” Lee said. “As we get closer to the threshold of being able to have the surgery or not to make it for next year, as we get closer to that I’ll have a decision to make and obviously we’ll know a lot more at that point.” Lee will be sent home to rest and begin a rehabilitation program. He is entering the final guaranteed season of a $120 million, five-year contract. Lee, the 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner, helped the Phillies win the 2009 NL pennant before he was traded to Seattle on the same day the Phillies acquired Roy Halladay from Toronto. He led the Texas Rangers to the AL pennant in 2010 before returning to the Phillies in 2011. Lee is 143-91 with a 3.52 ERA in 13 seasons.