Brewer Ace D’Amico to Have Unusual Surgery

Milwaukee Brewer right-hander Jeff D’Amico has decided to have an operation to repair a decompressed radial nerve in his upper right arm.

“It’s never been done on a major league pitcher,” General Manager Dean Taylor said Friday night.

D’Amico (1-1) has not pitched since April 22 and sought the advice of several medical specialists for his rare ailment that is usually seen in construction workers who damage their arms through heavy lifting. He will undergo an operation Monday.

Dr. Gordon Brody, a hand specialist and the medical consultant for the San Francisco Giants, will perform the operation at Stanford University.

D’Amico is expected to return to the mound later this season, Taylor said.

Boston Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez is heading to California for a second opinion on his ailing right shoulder.

The Providence Journal and the Boston Herald in Friday’s editions said Martinez was ready to leave as early as Friday to consult with Dr. Lewis Yocum, an orthopedist, who is the team doctor for the Angels. Yocum performed rotator cuff surgery on Ramon Martinez, Pedro’s older brother.

The Cleveland Indians put starter Chuck Finley back on the 15-day disabled list with neck and shoulder spasms and activated reliever Paul Shuey. . . . New York Met outfielder Darryl Hamilton asked to be released after a confrontation with Manager Bobby Valentine over a lack of playing time. Hamilton, batting .214 with one home run and five RBIs, was supposed to be in the lineup for the Mets’ game against the Atlanta Braves. During a pregame meeting, however, Valentine and Hamilton argued about the outfielder’s role, an issue that has festered since spring training.

Colorado infielder Terry Shumpert was suspended for two games for throwing an elbow at Arizona’s Erubiel Durazo in a rundown at home plate last weekend. Shumpert appealed the suspension and was in the lineup at second base for Friday night’s game against the Diamondbacks. . . . Colorado starter Brian Bohanon, who was on the disabled list in May because of soreness in his left elbow, is making a return trip because of inflammation in his left shoulder. . . . Philadelphia reliever Ricky Bottalico was put on the 15-day disabled list with a sore right shoulder. . . . Houston infielder Charlie Hayes was suspended for two games and fined an undisclosed amount for his blowup at umpires in a June 14 game at Minnesota. . . . Boston put right-hander Frank Castillo on the 15-day disabled list with a strained back muscle.