CLEVELAND _ Michael Fulmer's season is over.
The Detroit Tigers right-handed pitcher visited orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola, Fla., on Monday and will undergo ulnar nerve transposition surgery on Tuesday, manager Brad Ausmus said.
Ulnar nerve transposition surgery is a procedure to move the ulnar nerve from behind the medial epicondyle bone to a position where it is not irritated or pinched by the bone.
The timetable for his recovery is 3-4 months, Ausmus said, but it depends on the severity of the injury. The surgery is common, head trainer Kevin Rand said, and Fulmer is expected to be ready for spring training.
"The doctor recommended to get this done to hopefully alleviate the issue on a permanent basis," Ausmus said.
Fulmer went 10-12 with a 3.83 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 25 starts this season. He struck out 114 batters in 164 2/3 innings and was named an American League All-Star.
He has experienced symptoms of the injury dating back to his minor league days with the Mets, but started experiencing those symptoms during starts this season. He was placed on the 10-day disabled list in early August and returned to make four starts. After experiencing the symptoms in his last start against the Rockies on Aug. 30, the Tigers decided to get the issue checked out by Andrews.
"Even to his very last start in Colorado when I went out to talk to him, he was adamant that he felt fine and he told me the next day that he felt fine, that his velocity had actually gone up to 97 (mph) the pitch before," Ausmus said. "He was adamant that it wasn't [affecting him], but it would come and go and it would show up after starts. On the very rare occasion, it would show up during a start. More during the last month.
"Did it affect it? I guess it's impossible for it to have no impact but he claimed that he was completely capable of pitching."
