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It has been over a week since reports of Casey Kelly's arm injury surfaced, but we are just now getting confirmation of what the outcome will be:
Just confirmed by GM Josh Byrnes. #Padres P Casey Kelly will have Tommy John surgery on the 1st week of April. Originally told @mighty1090
— Scott Bair (@dscottbair) March 22, 2013
This news means that Kelly will miss the entire 2013 season and will not be ready to start the 2014 season. The surgery takes at least a year to recover from and sometimes more. It seems likely that he will end up spending most of 2014 in the minors getting back on track. If all goes well, Kelly could eventually win a starting rotation job maybe by 2015. Mind you that he was acquired for Adrian Gonzalez back in 2011. That's a long time for the team to get a return from the top prospect involved in the trade.