MIAMI – The Rangers are going to be without Jack Leiter at least until August, perhaps longer.
After consulting with surgeons, Leiter underwent right ankle surgery Tuesday morning to remove a loose body with symptoms similar to os trigonum syndrome. The condition, one with which the Rangers have a significant amount of history, occurs when a small accessory bone gets dislodged via trauma or repetitive action and causes inflammation and pinching. The Rangers neither confirmed nor denied the specifics of the actual procedure. Dr. Ned Amendola, one of the country’s top sports orthopedic surgeons for foot and ankle issues, performed the surgery at Duke University
Os trigonum surgery is a relatively simple procedure in which the accessory bone is simply removed, much like the hamate bone in the hand. Only about 7%-14% of people have the os trigonum bone, according to Cleveland Clinic.
A quick Internet search turned up three previous announced cases of players having the surgery in the last 12 years. Two of them were Rangers – Mitch Moreland and Geovany Soto – both in 2014. Neither, however, returned quickly. Soto had the surgery in spring training, but did not return until July. Moreland did not play after June 7 in a season that had gone south due to an epidemic of injuries.
Like Leiter, former New York Yankees first baseman Greg Bird tried to play through the issue in 2017, eventually undergoing the surgery in mid-July. He returned much more quickly, getting on the field before the end of September. While loose bodies are a common injury for pitchers in the elbow area, there is not significant data on how ankle issues impact the time of recovery. There is some thought that the Rangers can keep his arm more in shape by having him play catch while seated so he doesn’t put weight on the ankle. For hitters, being able to bear weight is much more necessary before recovery can begin.
Leiter suffered the ankle injury when he tumbled over a bat on the visitor’s on-deck circle on April 22 while trying to back up a throw. He continued to pitch through the soreness over the last two months, but his results have regressed. He has a 5.43 ERA with 11 homers allowed in 54 2/3 innings over a 10-game stretch.
With Leiter out, the Rangers have called up Jose Corniell and he, along with veteran Cal Quantrill, will likely get some “bulk” innings outings either as a starter or behind an opener. Quantrill was scheduled to start Tuesday’s game in Miami.
The next line of defense for the Rangers is probably at least four weeks away. Jordan Montgomery made his first rehab outing on Sunday for Double-A Frisco but would likely have to build up to five innings to be a viable option. Cody Bradford is further behind him, though he is finally making steady progress from his internal brace elbow surgery.