FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Troy Patton will head to Baltimore this week to have an arthrogram performed on his left shoulder, an examination the pitcher and the Orioles fear will lead to season-ending surgery.
Patton, a key component in the Orioles' December trade of Miguel Tejada to the Houston Astros, was examined yesterday morning by team orthopedist Dr. John Wilckens and instructed to head to Baltimore to have more extensive tests done on his shoulder.
Patton said he and Wilckens discussed several options, but the pitcher, who repeatedly has downplayed the likelihood of surgery, now seems resigned that it is a distinct possibility. If he has surgery to repair the labrum, he'll miss the 2008 season.
"Even if it isn't a [pitching] year for me, I'm still optimistic," said Patton, who is hoping to get an appointment with a team doctor in Baltimore by the middle of the week. "I'm 22 years old. I have a lot of bounce-back ability. I recover quick. Even if this does end the season, I can bounce back and be effective next year. [I will] work my butt off this offseason and come back. That's the worst-case scenario."
Orioles president Andy MacPhail acknowledged yesterday that the club was aware shoulder surgery for Patton was a "probability" before it made the deal with the Astros, which also landed outfielder Luke Scott, third baseman Mike Costanzo and pitchers Matt Albers and Dennis Sarfate.
Scott will likely be the Orioles' Opening Day starter in left field, and Albers and Sarfate are top candidates for 25-man roster spots. However, Patton, ranked as the Orioles' third-best prospect by Baseball America, was viewed as the player with the most upside in the deal. Orioles manager Dave Trembley said Sunday that the left-hander was one of the front-runners for the No. 5 spot in the rotation.
"We were well aware of what we were getting," MacPhail said. "Look, he's 22. He's left-handed. If we have to wait a year, we'll wait a year. Based on what else I could get [in the trade], to me this was clear that this was a little higher risk, but a much higher reward."
Patton wasn't examined by Orioles doctors before the trade was consummated, but MacPhail said the two teams shared medical information and the Astros were "upfront" during the process. The uncertainty of Patton's condition allowed the Orioles to consider other options as part of the deal.
