Reds Medical Director to Perform Surgery on Homer Bailey

May 4, 2015

To read the entire article written by C. Trent Rosecrans and feature on Cincinnati.com (Enquirer Media), please click here.

To the chagrin of fans, Homer Bailey will be unable to finish out the season.  The 28-year old pitcher for Cincinnati will undergo Tommy John surgery at the hands of the Reds Medical Director, Dr. Timothy Kremchek of Beacon Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine.  This procedure is common to baseball pitchers at all levels, and overuse is the most common culprit.

Reds Medical Director, Dr. Kremchek has performed over 3,000 ulnar collateral ligament repairs, or “Tommy John” surgeries.  With other Major League pitchers, recovery from this type of surgery generally takes one year.  Reds pitcher Jason Marquis underwent the same surgery, at the hand of the same surgeon, in 2013.  He spent a single season in the Minors and made it back into rotation in the Majors.

The Reds are hoping for similar results with Bailey. While it is expected for Bailey to miss the remainder of this season and all of the following season, the Reds signed a $105 million deal with Bailey for the next six years.  If he is able to recover fully in time for the 2016 season, Team Manager Bryan Price said fans can expect to see him come off the disabled list.

There are many new product lines, medical devices, and monitoring technologies designed to prevent overuse injuries.  Unfortunately, however, much of the technology is still being tested or conceptually proven.  Injuries are still going to happen.  As with most competitive sports at this level, it is a matter of keeping players healthy and helping them recover when they aren’t.