BALTIMORE (AP) -Matt Albers intends to pitch again this season for the Baltimore Orioles. His priority, however, is to avoid surgery on his right shoulder.
Diagnosed with a torn labrum, Albers has opted for a rehabilitation program rather than an operation and a lengthy recovery. He made the decision Wednesday after visiting with orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews in Alabama.
The right-hander rejoined the Orioles on Thursday, but won’t do much more than put on his uniform and do some running through the weekend. Then he will head to the team’s training complex in Florida to begin the process of getting the pain out of his ailing shoulder.
He has targeted his return for late August or early September.
“You really don’t want to rush it,” he said. “The best thing is try to avoid surgery. That’s my main goal. So I’m just trying to take my time and make sure everything’s right and everything’s strong.”
Albers won’t throw a baseball for three weeks before doing some light tossing. He will then pick up the pace and hope for the best.
“There’s a possibility if in six weeks it doesn’t work out I’ll have to have surgery,” he conceded. “But right now we’ll try to rehab it and take my time with it, make sure my shoulder feels better.”
Obtained in the December trade that sent Miguel Tejada to the Houston Astros, the 25-year-old Albers is 3-3 with a 3.49 ERA in 28 games, including three starts. He would love to add to those stats, but knows there’s a chance he won’t be able to play again until 2009.
“The tear in the labrum is pretty small, so as long as I get rid of all my other problems, I should be OK,” he said. “It’s definitely worth a shot.”
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