Hindsight is always 20/20 and for Rafael Furcal the decision not to undergo surgery after he partially tore his ulnar collateral ligament last August will cost him the 2013 season. Furcal and the team had tried rehab rather than reconstructive surgery in the offseason.
Furcal was shut down this past weekend after feeling increasing pain in his elbow. Furcal was examined by Dr. James Andrews, tnoted orthopedist on Wednesday when it was determined that Tommy John surgery was necessary. At 35 , Furcal’s career is now in jeopardy. Furcal was a National League All-Star last season, batting .264 and stealing 12 bases in 121 games for the Cardinals before his injury.
Furcal would likely miss 6 to 8 months recovering from the procedure. Pete Kozma and Ronny Cedeno will likely take over at shortstop while Furcal is out, unless the team makes trade.Jason Bartlett and Munenori Kawasaki remain Free Agents capable of playing major league shortstop, but the Cardinals are unlikely to sacrifice a roster spot for a short-term solution.
