Braden to undergo another shoulder surgery

The road to recovery for starting pitcher Dallas Braden just got longer. The A's told the assembled media that he will be undergoing a second surgery on his left throwing shoulder. A's manager Bob Melvin told the reporters gathered for his pregame session that Braden's surgery will be exploratory. No date has been revealed for the operation.
Braden, 29, hasn't been recovering as quickly as expected after undergoing the initial shoulder surgery on May 17, 2011 to repair a torn anterior capsule in his pitching shoulder. He flew to New York last week for a follow up visit with Dr. David Altchek, who performed the surgery.Braden hasn't appeared in a major league game since April 16, 2011. He had the same surgery as Mets starting pitcher Johan Santana, who returned after missing all of 2011 to throw a no hitter on June 1. Braden's return hasn't gone as smooth as Santana's. He was shut down this spring with a shoulder strain. Recently, he suffered a groin strain that appeared to have only temporarily shut down his recovery.The news is rather surprising because Braden had been on a throwing program and seemed to be on his way toward finally returning to a pitching mound in competitive action. He had been throwing bullpen sessions of up to 40 pitches, mixing in all his pitches. The A's are second in the American League with a 3.53 ERA and the intensely competitive Stockton native likely wasn't going to fit into the team's 2012 plans at this late stage of the season.