TORONTO -- Blue Jays right-hander Dustin McGowan will have season-ending surgery Thursday to repair fraying of the labrum in his shoulder.
McGowan, who is 6-7 with a 4.37 ERA in 19 starts, has not pitched since leaving a July 8 game against Baltimore after four innings, saying that the ongoing pain had become too much to bear. He was placed on the 15-day disabled list the next day.
Last September, an MRI revealed McGowan had a partial tear in his rotator cuff. Tests done this month revealed no further damage, but Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi said Saturday doctors will take a closer look when they operate on McGowan.
"He's got fraying of the labrum, so they're going to repair that," Ricciardi said. "When they're in there, they're going to look at the rotator cuff to see if anything else has to be done."
If the rotator cuff does not require attention, the Blue Jays hope McGowan will be healthy by spring training.
McGowan, 26, worked a career-high 169 2/3 innings with Toronto last season, going 12-10 with a 4.08 ERA. He also pitched 22 innings in five starts at Triple-A.
McGowan missed all but six games of the 2004 season as a minor leaguer because of ligament replacement surgery on his elbow.
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