Chad Kuhl stood in front of his empty locker stall at PNC Park, right arm in a sling, and told reporters Saturday afternoon he's at peace with his decision to undergo Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow.
Kuhl, 26, has been at the ballpark watching his teammates throw in the bullpen the past few days and will return to his home in Delaware for the offseason before beginning the long road back to pitching in the majors. He's expected to miss 14 to 16 months after having his ulnar collateral ligament reconstructed by Dr. David Altchek in New York, which rules him out from pitching next season.
Yet, Kuhl expressed optimism Saturday after spending nearly three months wondering if the tightness in his right elbow and forearm would worsen. He made the decision last week when he wasn't able to throw a scheduled bullpen in St. Louis, and the procedure was performed eight days later.
"It was just one of those things where I knew it was time," Kuhl said. "I didn’t feel any worse or I didn’t experience more pain. It was just one of those moments where it was just time. I didn’t do anything different. I went at it the same way, but I knew if I got back on the mound it would just be the same thing. I tried to ramp up my flat ground a little bit and still felt that pain where I knew something needed to happen. It was nothing out of the ordinary. It was kind of the same pain I’d been feeling, but it was just that time to take the next step."
He hoped that step could be avoided. Kuhl first experienced that tightness June 26 at Citi Field in New York, his final start of the season, and was placed on the 10-day disabled list three days later. The right-handed starting pitcher did not resume throwing until mid-August and progressed to a fastball-only bullpen this month.
However, the setback occurred as he was playing catch before he was scheduled to throw his breaking pitches in the bullpen at Busch Stadium. Kuhl has made 47 starts for the Pirates over the last two seasons and was arguably their best starter for one month prior to the injury. He had a 2.89 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings from May 6 through June 15, beginning with seven shutout innings and eight strikeouts at Milwaukee.
Kuhl allowed eight runs against the Diamondback at home June 21 and was removed in the fourth inning of his next start, June 26, after reporting right forearm tightness to head athletic trainer Bryan Housand. In the weeks leading up to the setback, Kuhl had extensive conversations with Jameson Taillon, who underwent Tommy John in 2014.
Taillon's recollection of his own symptoms made Kuhl optimistic he wouldn't require surgery. Kuhl appeared to be on track to return to the mound by the end of this month, either in the majors or in fall instructional league. Now, he'll report to Pirate City in Bradenton sometime in January, where he'll follow the same arduous rehab plan that helped Taillon, Nick Kingham and Clay Holmes recover from the surgery.
"I’m already looking forward to the challenges," Kuhl said. "(Tallion) was talking about squeezing putty one day and just how, 'Man, one day you’re going to be the best putty squeezer that day’ to kind of make light of it. He was talking about ‘you’re going to be so excited to embrace new challenges along the way.’ I’m already looking forward to getting started."
Like most pitchers, Kuhl wouldn't have thrown much in the first few weeks of the offseason, so he said early physical therapy sessions in Delaware won't faze him. He'll also report to spring training only a few weeks before the club's pitchers and catchers, possibly during voluntary workouts in January.
Kuhl isn't somber. Instead, he's relieved to no longer have to worry about what's next.
"I had that clarity that this is my next step," he said. "I’m ready to attack it. Living with the kind of unknown was probably the most annoying part of going through this whole process."
• Clint Hurdle declined to provide reporters with an update on the status of reliever Edgar Santana, who left Friday night's loss with right elbow tightness. Santana, 26, was charged with four earned runs and failed to record an out in a six-run sixth inning. He's pitched 66 1/3 innings this season.
Also, Hurdle had yet to speak to Francisco Cervelli, who also left in the sixth inning with gastrointestinal discomfort. Jacob Stallings is starting behind the plate Saturday night.
