Brian Wilson to Have Tommy John Surgery Thursday

Brian Wilson is out for the season and the Giants aren't wasting any time putting the closer under the knife: the Beard will have Tommy John surgery on Thursday.

Dr. James Andrews, who's become a mini-celeb thanks to his work with athletes, will perform the surgery in Pensacola, Florida and, according to Carl Steward of the San Francisco Chronicle, the team orthopedist Dr. Ken Akizuki will assist.

Bruce Bochy said Wednesday that the time frame for the recovery is up in the air, but he's hoping Wilson can be back in time for the beginning of the 2013 season.

"From what I understand, a second one could take a little longer," Bochy said. "It's not like there's a large sample size to show that, so hopefully all will go well and Brian will be back pitching next year."

The use of "2013" is indeed terrifying -- Wilson's done for a while, and, honestly, it's kind of up in the air as to how well he can return to form. As Bochy said, there's not a lot of history of two-time Tommy John surgeries with pitchers, and it's impossible to tell if Wilson will get back to where he was at his best.

Wilson's going to have a long road of rehab, but that's nothing new -- he had plenty of work to do this off season. And trainer Dave Groeschner said Wednesday he believed Wilson was prepped heading into the season.

"He was feeling great," Groeschner said. "We had a plan in place this spring and he followed it. Every time we talked to the coaches, they said he looked good. It wasn't like anyone was concerned watching him pitch. He looked good, he told me he felt good, so we did everything we could and Brian did everything he could."

Wilson believed he was pitching on borrowed time in the first place, so it's hard to imagine that he ever really felt "ready" per se, although he might not have indicated that to the training staff.

Either way, he's got a long road ahead and Giants fans certainly hope he does what he usually does: break the mold and show up in a big way.

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