NEW YORK (AP) — Washington Nationals right-hander Shawn Hill was scratched from his final start of the season and will have surgery on his right arm.
The Nationals said Monday that left-hander Mike Bacsik will start in place of Hill in the finale of their three-game series against the New York Mets on Wednesday night.
The Georgetown, Ont., native did not accompany the team to New York and was examined by team doctor Ben Shaffer in Washington on Monday. He will have an operation to have a radial nerve in his right forearm decompressed then have surgery on his left shoulder later.
A team spokesman said he didn’t know when the surgeries would happen but Hill is expected to be ready for spring training next year.
Hill went 4-5 with a 3.42 ERA in 16 starts this season. The 26-year-old allowed six runs and eight hits over 4 2-3 innings in a 6-3 loss to Philadelphia on Friday night.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and pitcher Mark Mulder had season-ending surgery Monday.
Molina underwent surgery for torn cartilage in his right knee. Mulder, who struggled in three September starts, also had arthroscopic surgery on his previously repaired rotator cuff. Club officials had described it as a cleanup procedure on an unhealed portion of the rotator cuff.
Dr. George Paletta, the team physician, performed both operations in St. Louis. Molina is expected to be ready to resume full athletic activities in four to six weeks, while Mulder is expected to be at full strength well before spring training.
The team said Mulder should begin physical therapy within a week. He said last week that the second operation would have no effect on next season.
Molina batted .275 with six homers and 40 RBIs in 111 games. Mulder, a 16-game winner in 2005, was 0-3 with a 12.27 ERA.
