PEORIA, Ariz. —
The three pitchers expected to be at the top of the Padres rotation all had Tommy John surgery in the past 3½ years. Two will be embarking on their first full seasons pitching after the operation.
The procedure involves a surgeon replacing the damaged ulnar collateral ligament in a patient’s elbow with a tendon from elsewhere in the body or from a cadaver. During the 60 to 90 minutes the operation takes, the ligament is tightened into place. Over the next several months, the body remolds the new tendon into a living ligament.
This Padres’ TJ trio — Dinelson Lamet, Chris Paddack and Garrett Richards — is being counted on to provide substantial quality innings.