Pittsburgh Pirates right handed pitcher Charlie Morton had successful surgery today to repair a torn labrum in his left hip. The recovery time for such a surgery is six months, which should put Morton out until about the middle of April. The injury affected Morton throughout the season, especially toward the end of the year, and the team decided that the best course of action would be to have it repaired.
The Pirates open their 2012 season with three games in four days, followed by an off-day. They won’t need five starters until April 14th, so there’s a chance that they won’t be affected by Morton’s injury. Worst case, they would need a spot starter on April 14th, and wouldn’t need a fifth starter again until April 24th. The season is too far off to be talking about spot starters, but this gives an idea of how the Pirates rotation won’t be affected much Morton’s injury, even though he probably won’t be ready for Opening Day.
