May 17--Angels ace Garrett Richards, who suffered a high-grade tear of his ulnar collateral ligament in early May, has opted to forgo ligament-replacement surgery -- for now -- in favor of stem-cell therapy in hopes of pitching again this season.
Richards underwent the procedure, in which stem cells are derived from bone or fat and injected into the injury site in hopes of repairing and regenerating the ligament, on Monday and will be evaluated in six to eight weeks to determine whether it was successful.
"Garrett weighed all the evidence that was given to him through MRI exams, he researched the process, talked to people who have gone through the procedure and people who have not gone through it and came to this decision," Angels General Manager Billy Eppler said. "We support him."
Richards, who went 1-3 with a 2.34 earned-run average in six starts, had all but resigned himself to Tommy John surgery, which would have sidelined the right-hander for the rest of this season and most, if not all, of 2017.
If the therapy, which Eppler termed a "conservative care route," doesn't work, Richards could still undergo elbow surgery in July and be ready for the 2018 season.
"Hopefully it will be the course of action he needs to heal and get healthy," Manager Mike Scioscia said. "I don't think you want to jump into any kind of surgery, let alone one of the magnitude of Tommy John surgery.
"That puts you out for this season and most of next season, so I don't think it's anything to rush into. Garrett has a few months here to evaluate where his elbow is. He really isn't having many symptoms at all, so I know he's confident with this course of action."
Eppler said there are pitchers "who have had this procedure and are pitching well in the big leagues," but declined to name any.
New York Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon underwent stem-cell therapy in March of 2010 to help repair ligament damage in his elbow and a torn rotator cuff.
Colon, now 43 and still pitching, missed the entire 2010 season but returned in 2011 and has gone 68-53 with a 3.67 ERA in 155 games since his stem-cell treatment.
If the treatment is successful, Richards, 27, could resume a throwing program by mid-July and return sometime in August. Fellow pitcher Andrew Heaney also opted to forgo elbow surgery in favor of a platelet-rich plasma injection in April.
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