Phil Hughes' rib surgery gives Twins optimism for future

ARLINGTON, Texas – The surgeon who performed the rib removal surgery Wednesday on Twins righthander Phil Hughes is optimistic that the procedure will eliminate the unusual weakness in his pitching shoulder, manager Paul Molitor said a day later.

"Everything went well," Molitor said of the operation performed in Minneapolis by Dr. Howard Saylor. "There was a little bit more muscle attachment to the rib than they expected, so the doctor indicated to Phil that he thought it was a good thing they were able to take care of this. He thought it had a very good chance of alleviating some of the things he was trying to endure while he was pitching."

Those things included a decrease in Hughes' fastball velocity by nearly 2 miles per hour over two years ago, and a feeling of weakness on occasion during some of his starts. That condition has been attributed to thoracic outlet syndrome, in which nerves and blood vessels are pinched between the top rib and shoulder blade. Surgery removes the impingement.

Hughes is also recovering from a fracture in his left femur, an injury suffered when he was hit by a line drive on June 9.

Twins General Manager Terry Ryan traded texts with Hughes on Thursday, and he said the surgeon's findings "don't affect the timeline at all. … I take it for granted he'll be ready for spring training."

Eduardo Escobar was not in the Twins lineup Thursday night at Texas, but Molitor said he could have been. Escobar has been completely cleared to resume playing after suffering a strained hamstring Saturday.

Escobar also avoided a second stint on the disabled list.

A dozen Twins minor leaguers, including some of the organization's top prospects, were promoted one level higher Thursday. First baseman Daniel Palka, who led the Class AA Southern League in home runs with 21 for Chattanooga in only 79 games, celebrated his promotion to Class AAA Rochester by homering twice in his first game for the Red Wings. Palka was acquired over the offseason from Arizona for catcher Chris Herrmann.

Also promoted were Felix Jorge and Tyler Jay, two of the Twins' top pitching prospects, who went from Class A Fort Myers to Chattanooga. Jorge, who is on the Twins' 40-man roster, was 9-3 with a 1.53 ERA for the Miracle. Jay, the team's No. 1 pick (and sixth overall) in last year's draft, was 5-5 with a 2.80 ERA in 13 starts.