Bobby Seay schedules shoulder surgery, will miss 2011

by Kurt Mensching on Sep 1, 2010 3:39 PM EDT in Detroit Tigers News

The Free Press reported this afternoon lefty relief pitcher Bobby Seay will have surgery on his throwing shoulder in about two weeks. The surgery will not be on the rotator cuff, however. It will be on his labrum, John Lowe wrote.

Seay is in the last year of his contract with Detroit. He will miss the entire 2011 season.

Seay, you'll recall, has been a key member of the Tigers' bullpen in the past. It was reported in March he had a partial tear in the rotator cuff of his pitching shoulder. His options were basically to rehab it, or to have possibly career-ending surgery.

Seay told Lowe that the surgery he is now set for, and the associated rehab, will leave his arm feeling like that of someone in their mid-20s if everything goes well.

He would like to continue to play for the Tigers, he added.

"My main thing is to wear a Tigers uniform again and get big outs for Jim Leyland," Seay said in a phone interview today.

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he could probably make the team today as a right hander

by redwingxviii on Sep 1, 2010 3:58 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Rec'd for fun-ny!

If you survived 2003, you can get through this!

by Tigerdog1 on Sep 1, 2010 6:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Get well soon Bobby!

He was one hell of a pitcher and a nice guy too. While his chances of returning are slim it is awesome (like Damon and Peralta) to hear him express how badly he wants to return to Detroit.
Class Act

by JAYRC on Sep 1, 2010 4:39 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

Seay it ain't so!

by ChrisDTX on Sep 1, 2010 5:20 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

He should have done that sooner

too bad. I hope he heals well. I like Bobby Seay

I'm going down with this ship. I may as well, I got nothin' better to do.

by Detroitchik on Sep 1, 2010 5:44 PM EDT reply actions

Good luck to Bobby.

Bobby would have been a free agent after this season, but I’d have bet on the Tigers giving him a minor league contract to let him rehab and see if he could come back. He postponed surgery all season long to see if he could salvage part of the season, but it seemed apparent to a distant observer (how’s that work?) that he was done for the season a long time ago. Some reports said the surgery would be “career threatening”.

Seay was injured at the end of last season, but was given a 2.45 million contract settlement after accepting arbitration in December. Obviously, he wasn’t healthy when the deal was done, and he never made it back this season. I’m still guessing that the Tigers will let him work with the equipment and facilities in Lakeland to rehab, and give him a shot at returning. Bobby was one of the very few NRI’s that Dombrowski relies upon (as in avoiding major league free agents) to fill major roles in the bullpen, that has actually panned out for them.

If you survived 2003, you can get through this!

by Tigerdog1 on Sep 1, 2010 6:46 PM EDT reply actions