SAN FRANCISCO _ A.J. Pollock will undergo surgery Thursday to remove a metal screw that was inserted into the growth plate in his right elbow in 2016, a development that is better news for the oft-injured Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder than it might seem.
Pollock, who signed a four-year, $55 million deal last winter, developed a bacterial infection in his bursa sac after bumping his elbow last week in Chicago and was put on the 10-day injured list Tuesday.
There was a fear Pollock would need a third procedure to fuse a fracture in the growth plate and reinforce the bone with new hardware. Pollock missed five months after elbow surgeries in 2010 and 2016 with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
But doctors determined during an exploratory procedure Tuesday that the growth plate had healed enough for the screw to be removed. While manager Dave Roberts acknowledged Pollock would be sidelined for at least a few weeks, he expects Pollock to return this season.
"Absolutely," Roberts said, when asked if he expects Pollock to be out for less than five months. "From what I understand, the bone structure is in a good place, and that's encouraging. There's no need to replace the hardware. They can just remove it, and that's a good sign."
Roberts said Pollock's injury is one that is usually associated with hockey players. Pollock may have initially injured the elbow as a child without knowing it. He fractured the elbow when he dove for a ball in a spring training game in 2010 and reinjured the elbow in 2016.
This is Pollock's eighth big league season. He has had 500 plate appearances once. In addition to the elbow injuries, Pollock has also missed time because of a broken thumb and a groin strain.
"It's a blow, but I think for us, it's more we feel for A.J. because this guy prepares so well," Roberts said. "He was so excited to sign with the Dodgers, a place he targeted, and for something freak to happen like this, he's disappointed."
