Mets Pitcher Johan Santana Out for Year to Undergo Left Shoulder Surgery

New York Mets starting pitcher Johan Santana will have season-ending surgery to repair a tear in his left shoulder, the team said in a statement.

Santana, 31, has not pitched since leaving his Sept. 2 start against the Atlanta Braves after the fifth inning with shoulder pain. The four-time All-Star was scratched from his next start with what the team is now calling a tear in the anterior capsule, close to the pectoral muscle. Santana had radiating pain in the pectoral and shoulder.

The team said he is expected to resume throwing in the spring. He is 11-9 this season with a 2.98 earned run average and leads the team with 144 strikeouts.

A two-time Cy Young Award winner, Santana was traded to the Mets from the Minnesota Twins during the 2007-08 offseason. In February 2008, Santana signed a six-year, $137.5 million contract and later that year set a franchise record for strikeouts for left-handers in a single season, with 206. Santana is due to make $72 million over his next three years.

Santana missed a month of last season with an elbow injury. He had arthroscopic surgery in September 2009 to remove bone chips in his left elbow and did not pitch again until spring training.

The Mets said the surgery would be in the “near future,” with no specific date mentioned.

To contact the reporter on this story: Eben Novy-Williams in New York enovywilliam@bloomberg.net.

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