Avila Will Avoid Surgery; No Immediate Timetable For Return
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - When the Detroit Tigers placed veteran catcher Alex Avila on the disabled list for what was originally diagnosed as a loose body in his left knee, Avila expected he might need to undergo arthroscopic surgery. On Saturday morning, he was just hoping to be 100 percent for the second half of the season.
Fast forward to Wednesday night, three medical opinions later, and it turns out Avila will be able to avoid surgery and ideally be back in action sooner than he originally anticipated.
"He's going to go through a rehab and treatment protocol that the doctors have agreed upon and they think is a very viable option to getting him back and getting him back for a long period of time," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. "Really, it's good news, because he doesn't have to have surgery. The time frame in terms of coming back, although I can't give you an exact time frame, it's certainly shorter than what they expect if he'd have had surgery."
Avila said he chose the option he did for exactly that reason.
"The timetable, we're not sure," Avila said. "My body, as it heals, will tell me what it is. My hope is that I'll be back sooner. That's why I went with this option, so time will tell.
"When I heard that we can go this route and not only could get me on the field as quickly as possible but as the same time be beneficial for me long-term as well, I was all for it," Avila added.
