GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Right-hander Drew Thorpe, who had a 5.48 ERA over nine starts during his big league debut for the White Sox last season, will undergo Tommy John surgery in the near future, as announced by the team Saturday. The procedure will be performed by Dr. Keith Meister.
This setback seems to be the culmination of issues starting for Thorpe last season, when he had season-ending surgery on Sept. 7 to shave down a bone spur in his right elbow. Thorpe suffered a couple of pain-based setbacks during the offseason, leading to a cortisone shot on Jan. 24, coinciding with the first day of SoxFest Live.
There was nothing but normal soreness as Thorpe ramped up through bullpens and two live BPs during Spring Training, before taking the mound for a Minor League game on Thursday. He worked through the first inning before leaving with a trainer after feeling something while warming up for the second inning.
“I didn’t know it was super serious,” said Thorpe of the mound pain. “It just kind of tightened up on me. Just be precautionary with it, with everything I’ve been through in the past six months or so, just with the past surgery and everything.
“Obviously, it’s super frustrating. It feels like I worked my [butt] off to get back. So it’s kind of a gut punch a little bit. But now it’s just another bump in the road. I know where my head is at with everything, and we’ll be able to get through it and get on to next year.”
Thorpe received the results Friday night from Dr. Meister, with the latest MRI showing a little more damage than previous scans, as the ligament was “giving up,” according to Thorpe. The comeback time is generally 12 to 14 months, but with the news just 12 hours fresh, Thorpe certainly wasn’t setting any sort of timetable.
“It’s really far away. I’ll push to get there as soon as possible. That’s the goal,” Thorpe said. “A handful of guys in the locker room have gone through it. It’s just kind of part of the life of the pitcher in baseball at this point. It will be good to have them to fall back on if I’m feeling some things throughout the recovery, rehab process. That’s obviously super helpful."
Pitching depth for the White Sox Major League side and their rebuild as a whole has taken a hit over the past two months. Ky Bush, Prelander Berroa, Juan Carela, Thorpe, Mason Adams and Blake Larson all have had arm issues since just before Spring Training, and everyone but Adams has undergone or is set to undergo Tommy John.
“It happens across the league every year, and we're just going to deal with it the best we can and that it's part of the game,” manager Will Venable said. “This maybe more impacts the depth in Triple-A.
“Guys that we had, like a [Jared] Shuster, we had stretched out early and then shortened up, I think they stay in those types of roles. And you're just looking at the Triple-A rotation depth being what we're now going to be looking at to help us out here.”
Drury sidelined
Infielder Brandon Drury suffered a fractured left thumb during pregame workouts Friday, and he will have a follow-up visit with Dr. Donald Sheridan in Scottsdale Monday, which will help define the period away from the field. Drury is a non-roster invitee at Spring Training who leads the team with 11 RBIs and is tied for the team lead at three homers.
Drury had a solid shot to not only make the team but be a somewhat regular contributor prior to the injury.
“We were doing a drill, and he just collided with a runner as a first baseman. Just a throw that took him up the line and a tough break,” Venable said. “Brandon has looked amazing. It really did look like the ‘23 version and very much himself.”