• Submitted by: manso
• Sports
• 08 / 15 / 2010

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(08-14) 04:00 PDT MINNEAPOLIS --Michael Ynoa made headlines two years ago when he received the largest-ever signing bonus for an international player not from Cuba.

He was 16 years old when the A's surprised much of baseball by outbidding many deep-pocketed teams, giving the Dominican right-hander $4.25 million.

On Friday, A's assistant general manager David Forst said that Ynoa, who is 18, is expected to have Tommy John surgery (elbow ligament reconstruction) on Aug. 24. The procedure will be performed by Dr. Lewis Yocum.

Ynoa has pitched only nine innings in the A's organization. The team brought him along slowly, and then he began to have elbow problems last year.

"All the disappointments he's had the past year or so were all in his face when I saw him in Phoenix the other day," A's director of player development Keith Lieppman said. "He wanted to go out and show what he could do so much, but unfortunately it's going to be a little longer. He's definitely disappointed and unhappy."

Because of his age, Ynoa went through four or five rehab programs for the elbow before conceding to surgery. He will be out 12 to 18 months and will rehab in Arizona.

"He was constantly getting looked at," Lieppman said. "I don't know how many diagnostic studies were done. Especially because Michael was still growing, we wanted to do anything we could to avoid surgery."

Another promising pitcher, right-handed reliever Justin Souza, who impressed the A's during the spring, will miss the remainder of the season because of a stress fracture in his right elbow, Lieppman said. Souza will have the arm immobilized for several weeks but is expected to be healthy for spring training.

Briefly: The injury news is much better for closer Andrew Bailey, who threw at a distance of 140 feet and felt good. He's likely to throw off the mound Sunday. ... Conor Jackson went 0-for-3 with a strikeout and a walk at Triple-A Sacramento on Friday night. ... The A's did consider acquiring Jose Guillen, who was traded to the Giants on Friday, but decided he was not the right fit. Guillen played well for Oakland for half a season in 2003, including during the playoffs, when he went 5-for-11 despite a broken bone in his hand.

Source: www.sfgate.com/