Surgery could end season for Mets’ Gee

ATLANTA (AP) — New York Mets pitcher Dillon Gee is scheduled for right shoulder surgery that could sideline him for the rest of the season.

The team said Gee will have surgery Friday in St. Louis to replace a portion of damaged artery. The right-hander was released from a New York hospital Wednesday after undergoing a procedure to break up a blood clot in his pitching shoulder.

The Mets said then that Gee might have further surgery to prevent a possible recurrence of the clot in the same location. The club announced Thursday that the decision to go through with the additional operation followed a recommendation this week by Mets medical staff and doctors in New York, as well as Gee’s consultation Thursday with Dr. Robert Thompson in St. Louis.

Thompson will perform the surgery. He has performed similar procedures on several pro ballplayers, the Mets said.

The club did not mention a timetable for Gee’s return, but the operation is expected to keep him off the mound for months.

Gee is 6-7 with a 4.10 ERA and had been one of New York’s most effective starters lately. He became the second member of the team’s opening-day rotation to go down with a serious injury, joining Mike Pelfrey on the disabled list.

Pelfrey had season-ending elbow surgery in early May.

To fill Gee’s spot, the Mets may move versatile journeyman Miguel Batista from the bullpen to the rotation — at least at first. They could also call up prized prospect Matt Harvey from Triple-A Buffalo, though management has maintained it would prefer to see Harvey get more seasoning in the minors.