St. Louis Cardinals ace Matt Morris and New York Mets pitcher Paul Wilson found out Monday they will need reconstructive elbow surgery to repair torn ligaments, the same surgery that also will sideline the Cubs’ Kerry Wood for the season.
Morris, a 24-year-old right-hander, was 7-5 with a team-leading 2.53 ERA last season, missing all but one start in the first half because of shoulder surgery. He was bothered by arm stiffness this spring, threw two scoreless innings against Kansas City in his first start, then felt pain.
Wilson, the top pick in the 1994 amateur draft, hasn’t pitched a major-league game since reconstructive shoulder surgery in November 1996. He may need two years to recover.
“Obviously, it’s very, very discouraging, as far as Paul has gone to come back from where he was,” Mets General Manager Steve Phillips said in Port St. Lucie, Fla. “It’s just devastating for him.”
