Texas Rangers right-hander Colby Lewis said he kept waiting for the morning he'd wake up and his right hip wasn't hurting him.
That moment never came and now Lewis' bid to pitch for the Rangers this season has come to an end.
Lewis, who was trying to come back from right flexor tendon surgery, will have bone spurs in his right hip removed by Dr. Thomas Byrd. Lewis will meet with team doctor Keith Meister before scheduling a time for the surgery
But with the expected rehab time from the surgery at six to eight weeks before resuming normal activities, it effectively ends Lewis' season.
Lewis has been plagued by hip problems throughout his career but this time the pain was starting to impact his pitching mechanics. He said the more innings he'd pitch in rehab starts, the harder it was for him to get his arm and his hip loose.
"It's something I deal with," he said. "I don't try to make it an issue. It got to the point where I felt it was affecting my mechanics and my ability to perform at the big league level."
Lewis had made seven rehab starts for the Rangers this year, with the last one coming Saturday for Double-A Frisco. He said after that he hoped his next start would be for Texas but the Rangers scheduled another one for Triple A to get his pitch count up.
Lewis said he talked with his wife Jenny before making the tough decision.
"I feel like it (the surgery) allows me to give myself one more opportunity to come back and make one last run at things," he said.
Lewis last pitched for the Rangers July 18, 2012. He had his elbow surgery a little more than a week later. Despite the surgery, the Rangers gave him an extension for the 2013 season for $2 million.
The club hoped he'd be ready to pitch around the All-Star break but he had his first rehab stint stopped by because of soreness behind his elbow.
Lewis won 32 regular-season games for the Rangers from 2010-2012 but was at his best in the postseason. He's 4-1 with a 2.34 ERA in the playoffs. The win total is a postseason franchise best.
Lewis, 34, made it clear he'd like to come back and pitch for Texas. He said he feels like Texas is his home. General manager Jon Daniels said the club would like to have him back too but wants to wait until after Lewis recovers from the surgery before the two sides talk about a new deal.
"The guy has unbelievable pain tolerance and work ethic, and he's pushed through it as long as he could," Daniels said. "We felt he was putting his arm at risk if he pushed any further. We certainly respect his decision."
