John Lamb Has Surgery at Beacon Orthopaedics

October 25, 2016

Early in the season, John Lamb reportedly began suffering from a lumbar disc herniation.  The left handed Cincinnati Reds pitcher underwent surgery to repair the herniation on Monday.  He chose the expert care of spine surgeon Ian Rodway, M.D. at Beacon Orthopaedics.  This is Lamb’s second back surgery in two years, which could be bad news for the 26-year-old athlete.

Given the average recovery time for such a procedure, it is highly unlikely that Lamb will be ready to start the 2017 season with the rest of the club.  This is a major setback for the pitcher, who had a surgical repair for a herniated disc back in December of 2015, pushing his 2016 MLB debut back to early May.  While he didn’t miss much given Cincinnati’s 94 losses this season, it is still hard to see him start the season late two years in a row due to back injuries.

Herniated discs haven’t been Lamb’s only injuries during his time as a Red, and far from his only time on the disabled list during his MLB career.  Tommy John surgery caused him to miss almost all of the 2011 and 2012 seasons.  He also suffered a hand injury while at bat, and later a flexor mass issue.

Adding to his complicated and extensive medical history is the fact that Lamb is out of minor league options.  If the Reds choose to activate him after recovery, he will be placed back on the active roster, without the luxury of coming back up through the minors again.

Beacon Orthopaedics provide the sports medicine care for the Cincinnati Reds, so Lamb’s second back surgery was performed by Dr. Ian Rodway, a spine surgeon with the practice.  Dr. Rodway is a well known spine surgeon, and leader in the research field.  He specializes in minimally invasive techniques, including disc replacement, one active adults, which is why he was a great fit for Lamb’s case.

To read more about John Lamb, by Steve Adams, on MLBTradeRumors.com, please click here.

To read the full story about John Lamb, as written by Zach Buchanan, and published in the Cincinnati Enquirer, please click here.