Carl Crawford: Tracking Outcomes of the Last 10 MLB Visits to Dr. James Andrews

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Dr. James Andrews is considered to be one of the best orthopedic surgeons in the United States, which is why so many baseball teams send their players to him for evaluations.

However, teams do not usually get good news when they send one of their players to Andrews. In many cases, it results in a player needing surgery.

The Boston Red Sox will be sending Carl Crawford to have his elbow evaluated by Dr. Andrews. Based on recent history, this is not a good sign for the Red Sox or Crawford, since so many of his former patients have needed surgery.

If recent history serves as a guide, then it seems likely that Crawford will be going under the knife soon.

Drew Storen

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Washington Nationals closer Drew Storen had some elbow pain earlier this year, so after he was evaluated by team doctors, the team wanted a a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews.

The Nationals sent Storen's test results to Dr. Andrews and it turned out that Storen had bone chips in his elbow. He then underwent surgery to remove those bone chips.

Mike Morse

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This season was supposed to be a big year for the Washington Nationals and they have had early success despite being without Drew Storen and Mike Morse.

Morse thought he was going to require surgery and miss the full season, but after visiting Dr. James Andrews, he received the good news that he would not need surgery.

However, Morse is still a long way away from returning to the majors.

Brian Wilson

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It was a huge loss for the San Francisco Giants this year when they found out that Brian Wilson would require Tommy John surgery and miss the season.

The operation was performed by Dr. James Andrews and it was the second Tommy John surgery that Wilson had undergone. Wilson had also undergone Tommy John surgery when he was pitching in college at LSU.

Joey Devine

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Joey Devine has struggled a bit with injury issues in his career, but when he has been on the field he has been a very effective reliever.

The Oakland Athletics will certainly miss Devine in 2012. It was discovered that Devine needed reconstructive surgery on his right elbow and the operation was performed by Dr. James Andrews.

Michael Kohn

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The Los Angeles Angels were not expecting Michael Kohn to play a big part in their bullpen this year, but he would have been a useful player to have.

Unfortunately for the Angels, Kohn needed Tommy John surgery and he went to see Dr. James Andrews for the procedure.

Al Alburquerque

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Not all news that comes out of Dr. James Andrews' office is bad news. The Detroit Tigers sent Al Alburquerque to Dr. Andrews following his surgery to repair a stress fracture this winter.

Alburquerque recovered from his surgery and was cleared by Dr. Andrews to begin throwing and he remains on pace to return around the All-Star break.

Jesse Litsch

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Jesse Litsch was shut down by the Toronto Blue Jays during spring training this year because of inflammation in his shoulder. A visit to Dr. James Andrews showed no structural damage.

As part of his treatment, Litsch was receiving platelet-rich plasmas injections. One of these injections caused an infection and Litsch needed surgery as a result.

Mike Pelfrey

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Mike Pelfrey had gotten off to a good start for the New York Mets this season and it seemed like he had figured things out. Then, Pelfrey had some discomfort in his elbow.

The Mets sent him for an MRI and they sent the results to Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion. There is a chance that Pelfrey will undergo Tommy John surgery.

Jose Ceda

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Jose Ceda began spring training on the right foot in 2012, but his year ended a lot sooner than he wanted it to.

Just a few appearances into the spring, Ceda found out that he tore a ligament in his elbow. The Miami Marlins and Ceda chose Dr. James Andrews to perform the surgery.