Wang to Have Season-Ending Surgery

by David Heck on Wed, Jul 29, 2009 at 12:25AM

The Yankees lost 6-2 on Tuesday and took another hit after the game, as the team announced that two-time 19-game winner Chien-Ming Wang would undergo season-ending arthroscopic shoulder surgery on Wednesday.

Wang went on the disabled list for the second time this season on July 5 with a strained right shoulder. He was examined by the famed Dr. James Andrews, and it was determined that Wang would have to shut it down for the rest of the year.

"It's a tough loss for us," manager Joe Girardi told The Associated Press. "I feel for him. He's been through a lot the last 14, 15 months. Hopefully this will be the end of the surgeries for him and he'll have the rest of his career to be real healthy. We'll be there for him and we'll help him get through this. We'll get him back pitching as soon as we can."

Wang also missed most of last year after injuring his right foot running the bases in an interleague game against the Astros on June 15. He had struggled to regain his form in nine starts this season, going 1-6 with a 9.64 ERA in 12 games.

With the news of Wang's prognosis, the Yankees — already short on starting pitcher depth — may have even more reason to be active in the trade market before Friday's deadline.