SURPRISE, Ariz. — Kansas City Royals right-hander Seth Maness is like many pitchers in spring training, trying to earn a bullpen job.
Maness also is a willing guinea pig, coming off a new surgical procedure that has the baseball industry’s attention.
Maness opted to pass on Tommy John surgery to repair the right elbow that blew out last season and try a different procedure that could cut the recovery time significantly. It normally takes 12 to 18 months to return from the Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery.
St. Louis orthopedic surgeon Dr. George Paletta suggested another procedure called “primary repair” to Maness and was cautiously optimistic that he could be back pitching when the season opened or soon after it.