PHILADELPHIA — By the time a St. Louis hospital had a sudden opening in its schedule, Tyler Thornburg’s fate seemed unavoidable. No reason to put off the inevitable.
Yes, Thornburg will have shoulder surgery today. No, he won’t pitch at all this season.
Turns out, the Red Sox traded for damaged goods, and they didn’t know it until just a few weeks ago when a specialist finally used the term thoracic outlet syndrome and brought some clarity to Thornburg’s constant setbacks since spring training.
“It’s a situation where a lot of other avenues are exhausted before they get to this perspective,” vice president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said.