Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Nick Burdi has been designated for assignment after he underwent a second Tommy John surgery on his right (throwing) elbow last month.
The Pirates said surgery was recommended after a re-evaluation 10 to 12 weeks after Burdi underwent platelet-rich plasma therapy injections, which involve a concentration of his own platelets to accelerate the healing process of tendons, ligaments, muscles and joints. A recovery to full baseball activities is expected in 16-18 months.
Burdi underwent UCL revision, a surgery performed by Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas. Burdi previously had Tommy John surgery in May 2017, before the Pirates traded $500,000 in international signing bonus pool to the Philadelphia Phillies after they selected him in the Rule 5 draft from the Minnesota Twins.
Burdi recovered but required surgery for neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome in 2019.
He was 2-2 with a 9.49 ERA in 12 1/3 innings over 16 games in three seasons with the Pirates.
