Chad Dallas’ season came to an early end after he had Tommy John surgery on Monday.
The right hand pitcher has spent the season with the Toronto Blue Jays Triple A affiliate in Buffalo. He had the “full” repair and is expected to miss all of next season. “There are three types of Tommy John Surgery,” he said. “At first they thought it was a partial tear and maybe heal on its on but that didn’t happen. So Dr. Keith Meister, who is the expert at this surgery, repaired the whole thing.”
Meister is an Orthopedic Surgeon and also the team doctor for the Texas Rangers. He knows his way around a pitching arm so Dallas felt like he was in the best hands during the 45 minute surgery. Some pitchers have actually performed better and thrown harder after having the surgery.
Tommy John surgery repairs a partial or torn “ulnar collateral ligament” on the medial side of the elbow. It’s replaced with a tendon from another part of the body or even from a cadaver. Dr. Meister took a ligament out of Dallas’ wrist. The procedure was first performed on Dodgers pitcher Tommy John in September 1974 by by Dr. Frank Jobe.
Other than Lasik surgery it’s the first major surgery for the 24 year old Dallas. He was taken in the fourth round by Toronto in the 2021 draft and was projected to have a shot at making his big league debut this season.
“It was not my best season but it’s been a great learning season. I’ve learned more about pitching to the better hitters. I got a chance to face some big league hitters like Joey Gallo and Tony Kemp.”
He also got the chance to catch up as well as face some of his college buddies who reached the AAA level. He also has had several opportunities to face Chase Shugart’s Worcester WooSox. “He was having a great month and we talked about how close he was to getting a call. And then he did. I was happy for him,” said the WOS product.
Dallas also talks to his brother Jack frequently. Jack is pitching for the High-A Jersey Shore Blue Claws and having a nice season. He’s 5-2 with a 3.75 ERA. And he has two more high school teammates in the minors with Grant and Aidan Anderson. Grant won a ring with the Rangers last season and has bounced between the show and Triple A. He picked up his first career save on Wednesday night. Aidan has had a great season in Triple A Round Rock.
Missing next season does have a silver lining for Dallas. His wife Madison is due to have their first child in December so he’ll have plenty of time to spend with his newborn.
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