Mets starting pitcher Chris Young took an early trip to the disabled list this season, and though his injury initially wasn't thought serious, and though he worked his way back to having a scheduled start in the bigs, he was scratched from that scheduled start with discomfort, and an MRI revealed a tear in his shoulder.
At that point, Young was faced with a choice: He could either try to rehab the injury over a period of several weeks or months, or he could have surgery. On Thursday, Young opted for surgery, which will be performed on May 16 and will knock Young out for the rest of the 2011 regular season, with the beginning of 2012 also in question.
It's a big blow for the Mets, albeit not an entirely unexpected one, as Young has shown himself to be among the most fragile pitchers in the game. Dillon Gee will continue to occupy Young's spot in the rotation.
Young's season ends with a 1.88 ERA over 24 innings in four starts, with 22 strikeouts.