PHOENIX (AP) - Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke will need surgery to repair his broken collarbone, and Los Angeles says he is expected to return in eight weeks.
Greinke was hurt Thursday night when San Diego’s Carlos Quentin charged the mound after he was hit on an arm by a pitch.
The Dodgers said Greinke was examined Friday by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles and had a CT scan. ElAttrache and Dr. John Itamura will operate Saturday at White Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles to place a rod in the clavicle to stabilize and align the fracture.
Speaking to reporters before the Dodgers played Arizona on Friday night, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said he wasn’t surprised by the extent of Greinke’s injuries.
“We knew last night, for the most part, that it was going to be extended,” he said. “You know, it’s unfortunate.”
Greinke, the 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner, signed a $147 million, six-year contract with the Dodgers during the offseason.
“Obviously the attention that he got this winter and things that he’s done in his past tell you he’s hard to replace,” Mattingly said. “I guess we’re in a sense fortunate that we have a few extra starters this spring, and right now it’s a good thing.”
Ted Lilly and Chris Capuano are the candidates to take Greinke’s next scheduled start on Tuesday, against the Padres in Los Angeles.
Lilly has been on the 15-day disabled list since March 28 and was to throw a bullpen session on Friday. Capuano, now in the Dodgers’ bullpen, is a former starter.
Los Angeles placed Greinke on the 15-day disabled list and recalled right-handed reliever Shawn Tolleson to take the roster spot.
Mattingly, far calmer than he was in the heated aftermath of the brawl, said he will wait to see the outcome of Lilly’s bullpen session before making a decision on a replacement for Greinke.
“We still have a few days to make a decision,” he said. “We don’t have to announce a starter. For another day, I can avoid you.”
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