PHILADELPHIA -- Seth Maness' surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament Thursday went well, in two aspects. It was a successful operation -- and it wasn't Tommy John surgery, as had originally been scheduled.
Rather than replacing Maness's injured ligament with another -- the Tommy John procedure -- doctors only repaired the existing one, drastically reducing his recovery time.
"They went in and had to tack [the ligament] down," manager Mike Matheny said. "I think it changes the prognosis of when he could potentially be back."
Recovery from Tommy John can take anywhere from 12-18 months.