Well, here's a bit of a surprise. Ted Lilly had shoulder surgery today, per Carrie Muskat's blog:
Cubs pitcher Ted Lilly underwent a left shoulder arthroscopy and debridement on Tuesday by noted orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles. During the surgery, Yocum found no major damage to Lilly's shoulder and the procedure consisted of a washout and clean up of the shoulder. The procedure took approximately one hour to complete.
Lilly will immediately begin an aggressive range of motion and strengthening program. A timetable for a throwing program will be set when he's re-examined after Jan. 1. Typically, recovery time for a procedure such as this would place Lilly's return to the Cubs rotation within the month of April.
UPDATE: More after the jump.
More details from Bruce Miles this morning:Both Lilly and the Cubs said the surgery, performed by Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles, was a "cleanup," or debridement, and that Lilly has no significant structural damage.
Although Lilly won't be ready for Opening Day, the Cubs expressed confidence Wednesday he could pitch sometime in April. Lilly will begin a rehab process with range-of-motion exercises, but he said he won't begin throwing for four months, or until early March.
"I initially wanted to try to avoid it, go into the off-season without having to do anything," Lilly said Wednesday by teleconference. "I figured it would get better. It did not, even after all the rest. I just didn't want to go into the season kind of doing what I was doing at the end of the year where I was missing starts."
Take a look at the Cubs' April 2010 schedule -- with off days each of the first two weeks, the Cubs won't need a fifth starter until April 19, the 13th game of the season -- so Ted could have a couple of extra weeks to get ready and perhaps start that day, or later that week.