Fields to have surgery on throwing shoulder

The Daily Inter Lake

Columbia Falls graduate and current minor league pitcher Josh Fields has a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder and needs season-ending surgery.

Fields - a right-handed reliever who has spent the year with Charlotte, the triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox - last pitched Aug. 11 and came out after only four pitches. An MRI the next day revealed the tear.

"I had a good season, put up good numbers," Fields said during a phone interview from Charlotte. "I've been hurting for a little bit now, and the way I look at it I can't come off it any worse. Imagine what I'll be able to do when I'm healthy."

The labrum is a ring of fibrous cartilage that aids in shoulder stability, and is a frequent injury among pitchers. Fields will need arthroscopic surgery, a less invasive procedure than typical operations, to repair the damage and will be sidelined anywhere from five to eight months.

"I've got to go to Los Angeles to see a specialist," Fields said. "I'm very optimistic. It's a good point in my career to have this happen.

"September call-ups were unlikely because of how well the White Sox are doing. I feel I've made the right decision. The White Sox have been very supportive."

Fields will be examined by Dr. Lewis Yokum next week and a surgery date set after that. Fields will spend the winter in Los Angeles rehabilitating his shoulder. If all goes well, he could be ready for spring training in February.

"That's going to be the intense part of it," he said. "And I know there's a chance I could not come back from it as good as I was."

Fields finished the season 4-5 with a 2.75 ERA, pitching 68 2-3 innings in 55 games as one of the Knights' top setup men.

"I proved I can do it again," he said.