Astros' Kent Emanuel: Avoids Tommy John surgery

Emanuel underwent an internal bracing surgical procedure on his left elbow Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Previous reports indicated that Emanuel would be shut down for the year following elbow surgery, but he didn't know exactly which surgery would be required until he went under the knife. As it turns out, he was able to avoid his second career Tommy John surgery, but he will indeed still be out for the remainder of the year. The procedure he ended up undergoing carries a nine-month recovery timeline, meaning he'll be ready for game action during spring training next season and could have a chance to be ready by Opening Day, barring setbacks.