Hudson opts for elbow surgery

ATLANTA - Tim Hudson has come to the conclusion that he's not going to realize a miracle in regards to his right elbow. After feeling more discomfort while simply playing catch at Turner Field on Saturday afternoon, the Braves right-hander has decided to undergo Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery.

"All of the arrows are pointing that way," Hudson said. "I just wanted to test it one more time to convince myself that's what needs to get done."

An MRI exam performed on Monday provided indication that Hudson would need to undergo this surgical procedure. Two days later, Braves physician Dr. Xavier Duralde and noted surgeon Dr. James Andrews came to the conclusion that his ligament was damaged to the point where he'd need to undergo this replacement surgery.

Hudson held out hope up until Saturday, when he felt more pain while trying to throw from a distance of approximately 70 feet.

Now Hudson faces the reality that he'll likely need a full year of rehab to recover from this surgery. This timetable projects the possibility of him rejoining the Atlanta rotation during August of next year.

Andrews will likely perform the surgery during the latter part of this upcoming week.

"It's going to stink," Hudson said. "You have to have a lot of patience. I think I'll be able to do it."

Hudson, who went 11-7 with a 3.17 ERA in 23 appearances (22 starts) this year, is set to make $13 million in the final year of his contract next year. The contract includes a $12 million option with a $1 million buyout for the 2010 season.

Given this fact, there will be even more motivation for Hudson to return at some point next year to pitch.

"I'm confident that everything will come back better than it was," Hudson said.

Hudson was removed from his July 23 start at Dolphin Stadium after just 68 pitches. He'd completed six scoreless innings against the Marlins. But he exited because of discomfort below his elbow. At the time, he thought he was suffering from a forearm strain caused by the fact that he'd thrown more split-finger fastballs than usual.

Before that start against the Marlins, he said that he wasn't battling any sort of arm discomfort.

"I've never had any arm problems," Hudson said. "I've never missed a game in professional baseball because of an arm issue. It's definitely unexpected to say the least. It's all new to me."