GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- The Los Angeles Dodgers' Vicente Padilla, a valuable right-hander who can both start and relieve, will undergo surgery on his right elbow Thursday and could be out anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.
Team officials said Wednesday that the timetable is uncertain because the injury is somewhat unusual. The surgery involves an incision to free up a nerve that's trapped by a muscle.
"I don't want to talk about it until we get more medical information," manager Don Mattingly said.
He said the team hopes Padilla can return this season.
"It flared up when he tried to increase his velocity," general manager Ned Colletti said. "This was the best course of action, especially considering we've got the month of March and a week in February."
Padilla will undergo the surgery in Los Angeles, and is expected to return to Camelback Ranch on Friday.
Padilla made 16 starts last season and finished 6-5 with a 4.07 ERA. He also spent 68 games on the disabled list with elbow soreness and a neck injury.
This year, he was projected as a reliever but also as a safety-valve starter in case anybody in the projected five-deep rotation went down with an injury.
"If we stay healthy, he probably was going to be in the bullpen," Mattingly said. "For the guys who are fighting for bullpen spots, it creates another one. And for how long, we don't know."
At the moment, there are two vacancies in the Dodgers' bullpen. Ronald Belisario has failed to show, apparently because of passport problems. Belisario, who lives in Venezuela, also reported a month late last season.
The Dodgers are not holding a spot for him.
"There's competition for jobs out there," Mattingly said.
