Albert Pujols underwent arthroscopic surgery in Dr. James Andrews' clinic in Birmingham, Ala. Wednesday and early reports seem to indicate that the surgery was successful. Pujols had the bone chips in his throwing elbow removed and Andrews said that further surgery, like a ligament replacement (more commonly known as Tommy John surgery), won't be necessary and he's unlikely to miss time in 2010. It should go without saying that this is good news for the Cardinals, but even that underscores the importance of the announcement that further surgery is not necessary. Pujols' elbow has been bothering him since the end of the 2007 season. After that season rumors about Tommy John surgery swirled, but Pujols put the procedure off. Then, after the 2008 season, he had surgery to move an irritated nerve in the elbow.
Really, given his production since the injury in late 2007, there's no reason to think he can't continue like this indefinitely. He's played in 308 of 324 games and led the NL in OPS+ in both 2008 and 2009. He won the MVP last year and he's the overwhelming favorite to repeat again this year. When he first injured the elbow in 2007, doctors made it seem like a matter of time until he was forced to get the surgery, but until that ligament tears itself off the bone, he can probably go about terrorizing National League pitchers without any ill effects from the injury.
