Danny Duffy will begin offseason workouts in six weeks after elbow procedure

Royals pitcher Danny Duffy is expected to return to normal offseason training in six weeks after undergoing surgery Tuesday to remove loose bodies from the back of his left elbow.

According to a Royals statement, Duffy will be ready for spring training in February.

The minor elbow cleanout — an arthroscopic procedure to eliminate loose cartilage and bone fragments that cause inflammation — was expected for weeks after Duffy landed on the disabled list in late August because of what the Royals called a pronator strain. Duffy made three starts in September but he continually hinted that he would need to “address” his elbow in the offseason.

“I have what I have,” Duffy said in early September. “It’s something that is inflaming something in there. So we’ll get it looked at when we need to. But until then, right now, I could go. Nothing in my elbow is going to compromise my ligament.”

Duffy said he felt the issue last season as well. He considered undergoing a similar procedure in the offseason. Yet the problem appeared manageable.

He finished 9-10 with a 3.81 ERA in 146  1/3 innings across 24 starts in 2017. He struck out 130 and issued 41 walks. He is set to make $14 million in 2018, the second year of a five-year, $65 million extension signed before last season.

This story was originally published October 3, 2017 at 6:03 PM with the headline "Danny Duffy will begin offseason workouts in six weeks after elbow procedure."