Dillon Gee to have Potentially Season-Ending Surgery

Multiple reports Wednesday say Dillon Gee will have surgery on his damaged artery that could end his 2012 season.

ESPNNewYork.com reports that after doctors dissolved a blood clot in his pitching shoulder, they saw that that the artery itself was damaged. Gee has two options — surgery or blood thinners. The latter is apparently is much riskier, so Gee opted for the surgery.

The reports say Gee could begin throwing in six-to-eight weeks, which would get him back in late September. Under that scenario the Mets would likely just keep him out and get him ready for the 2013 season.

Experts say the surgery will fix the artery and Gee should not have any clotting problems in the future.

Gee is 6-7 with a 4.10 ERA and just had his best start last Saturday, lasting eight innings in a win against the Cubs. Afterwards he complained about numbness in his fingers, which prompted the hospital visit.

If Gee is going to be out for the remainder of the season, it makes even more sense to bring up Matt Harvey. If this was going to be a 15-day disabled list sort of thing, then using Miguel Batista or one of their mediocre minor leaguers as a stop-gap made sense. But those guys should not be part of a long-term solution, especially with the Mets in the thick of a pennant race.