UTK Flash: Chris Paddack has Tommy John

Twins reliever done for 2022

The Twins announced that Chris Paddack had undergone elbow reconstruction (Tommy John surgery) on Wednesday. This is a revision (second reconstruction) with Paddack’s first reconstruction coming in 2016.

This is not unexpected. Paddack was seeking a second opinion after nearly a week and his visit to Dr. Keith Meister ended in not just an opinion, but a new elbow ligament. With the standard recovery period at 14 months, that would put Paddack out not just through the rest of the 2022 campaign, but also much of 2023 as well.

Paddack is arbitration eligible, with two more seasons before he is a free agent. That puts the Twins in an interesting position. They’re on the hook for his rehab, but another team could sign him, knowing how long the rehab will take and perhaps getting a bargain on what would be the 2024 season. The recovery from Tommy John surgery is over 85 percent and revision is not significantly lower once adjusted for non-medical failure. (That is, a lot of people quit the rehab due to age or time rather than not being able to physically come back.)

I’ll have more on this in the next UTK, but the Twins took a gamble on a pitcher with talent, but a damaged elbow. This time, it didn’t pay off, leaving them thin and young in the rotation.

Amazing that this video is from just a couple weeks ago.