With teams beginning to shoot for 14-month over 12-month return targets, any Tommy John elbow reconstruction after the All-Star break effectively wipes out both the current and ensuing season. That timetable was firmly in the back of Colin Rea’s mind when Dr. James Andrews – one of the nation’s foremost orthopedic surgeons – recommended a platelet-rich plasma injection over season-ending surgery.
“He even said Tommy John wasn’t the ‘cure-all’ so you might as well give this a try – especially where we’re at in the season,” Rea said after receiving his PRP injection on Thursday afternoon in San Diego.