Rick Ankiel announced in August that he was going to attempt to make a comeback as a relief pitcher. That comeback effort will be delayed for a few months as he underwent surgery on his left elbow to repair a ligament, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
The Cardinals were going to make a contract offer to Ankiel, 39, and still plan to once he is fully recovered. Ankiel pitched in the Bluegrass World Series but otherwise hasn’t pitched competitively since 2004. After that, he reinvented himself as a position player.