Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009

Cubs P Lilly has surgery on shoulder

Chicago Cubs pitcher Ted Lilly underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder on Tuesday.

The procedure, which found no major damage, was termed a "washout" and "clean up" by the club and was done by orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Tim Yocum in Los Angeles. Lilly will be re-evaluated after January 1, 2010 at which time a throwing program will be discussed. He is scheduled to begin a strengthening routine immediately and could return to the Cubs rotation by April.

Lilly struggled with inflammation in the same shoulder during the season and spent a stint on the 15-day disabled list as a result.

The southpaw finished 2009 with a 12-9 record to go along with a 3.10 earned run average over 27 starts.