Alvarez says he's done

With his shoulder still hurting, the Rays pitcher says he expects to have surgery soon.

By JOHN ROMANO

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 24, 2000

ST. PETERSBURG -- With the pain in his left shoulder persisting, Wilson Alvarez said Tuesday he does not expect to pitch this season and might soon be heading to surgery.

"I can't pitch. The pain I have is not going away," Alvarez said. "I don't think I'm going to make it back this year anyway, so I might as well have the surgery soon."

Alvarez has been sidelined since spring training with what was diagnosed as inflammation in the shoulder.

An MRI exam done in April showed "wear and tear" around the rotator cuff, but noted orthopedic surgeon James Andrews said Alvarez probably would be able to pitch after going through a strengthening program.

Alvarez, 30, has made little progress in the past month, and team officials said Tuesday he likely will return to Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., for further evaluation.

"Wilson has worked his tail off. You ask anybody involved, he has worked extremely hard," general manager Chuck LaMar said. "His shoulder, with all the tests they do, is as strong as ever. There's just something in there that's not right."

Alvarez had said he expected to have arthroscopic surgery after the season to shave the clavicle and reduce an impingement in the shoulder. Recovery time for that surgery is usually six to eight weeks.

Alvarez might have the surgery immediately or perhaps have an exploratory procedure to see if there is another problem.

"Wilson Alvarez has not had a great rehab, especially over the last two or three weeks, so something has got to be done," LaMar said. "We can't just sit here and let him drown. We have to do what's right for him and, hopefully, what's right for the organization."

Alvarez is Tampa Bay's highest-paid player this season with a $9-million salary. Most teams take out insurance policies in case of injury to their highest-paid players. The team declined to say whether it holds a policy on Alvarez.

Since signing a five-year, $35-million deal before the 1998 season, Alvarez has gone 15-23 with four stints on the disabled list.

"They said it was simple inflammation. I don't know," Alvarez said. "I don't think simple inflammation would keep me out of the game for three months. So I want to go there and find out what's going on. It isn't getting any better at all.

"I want to do it as soon as possible. Fix it. Then I've got two more years here to make every start possible."

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