Another day in the 2017 season, another piece of bad news for the Giants.
After struggling with elbow issues all season, Giants closer Mark Melancon confirmed on Monday morning that he will undergo surgery to alleviate chronic exertional compartment syndrome, a rare muscular issue in his right forearm, as reported first by Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News.
When exactly Melancon will have the surgery is up in the air, however, with the pitcher hoping to finish out the season before going under the knife. Melancon told Baggarly he’s day-to-day until he can no longer pitch.
“I guess that’s the best way to put it: I need surgery, and I’m day to day,” Melancon said. “I’m trying to last as long as I can. It’s day to day — literally day to day.”
Melancon, 32, has dealt with a pronator strain in his right elbow for much of his first season in San Francisco, but revealed for the first time on Monday that he has been diagnosed with the rare muscle issue. According to Baggarly, it is “a condition in which the sheath that covers the muscle does not allow it to expand when worked,” and that “surgery would involve releasing the lacertus fibrosus and has a recovery time of two to three months.”
“It’s super tight, the whole compartment,” Melancon said. “From what they say, I should be fine. … There aren’t a lot of cases like this, so it’s a difficult thing to diagnose.”
Frighteningly, this is the same condition that former Giants’ starting pitcher Noah Lowery was diagnosed with, an issue which essentially ended his career after undergoing surgery in 2008. On the other hand, former Cardinals pitcher Kyle Lohse also had the procedure done in 2010, and was able to bounce back with four solid seasons where he posted a combined ERA of 3.28 with St. Louis and Milwaukee.
Melancon, who the Giants signed to a four-year, $62 million contract this offseason, has struggled while bouncing back and forth from the disabled list twice in 2017. Melancon lost his job as the team’s closer to Sam Dyson midway through the season and has posted a 4.13 ERA in 30 apperances. In a season that has been lost for sometime, it would seem like an ideal moment for Melancon to step away and get the procedure done as soon as possible to ensure he’s ready to go in 2018. Still, Melancon says he is going to keep pitching if he can.
“Being on the DL is the worst thing ever, and more so, I want to pitch,” Melancon said. “I don’t want to go down and have these guys with one less guy to pitch.”