10 athletes undergoing spine surgery in 2023

Spine

Here are 10 athletes undergoing spine surgery that Becker's has reported on in 2023:

Baseball

  • Texas Rangers right-hand pitcher Max Scherzer had back surgery, sidelining him until midseason.
  • Robert Watkins, MD, operated on Oakland Athletics pitcher Drew Rucinski. Mr. Rucinski had a spinal decompression and L5 to S1 spinal fusion.
  • Washington Nationals pitcher Matt Cronin had surgery to repair a herniated disc.
  • Jesse Winker, an outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers, had a cervical disc replacement during the offseason.
  • The San Francisco Giants' Luis González had surgery to repair a disc in his lower back.

Golf

  • Professional golfer Will Zalatoris underwent a microdiscectomy on April 8.

Hockey

  • Chad Prusmack, MD, performed back surgery on Mark Stone, a winger for the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights, on Jan. 31 in Denver.

Football

  • Physicians at the University of Louisville (Ky.) Medical Center performed spine surgery on University of Virginia running back Perris Jones after he was injured in the third quarter of a game against Louisville.

Wrestling 

  • World Wrestling Entertainment star Adam Scherr had a one-level cervical spine fusion. 
  • World Wrestling Entertainment star Robert Roode had his second spine surgery in a year. 

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