Twins right-handed starter Phil Hughes had a nightmare of a season in 2016, and he’s going to remember it by keeping a bone that was removed from his body.
Wait, what?
Hughes had season-ending surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome in July. The procedure removed a rib that was “causing nerve and vascular impingement” in his right shoulder. Per the Associated Press, Hughes kept the rib.
“I haven’t decided what the next step is. I have a few ideas. Plating it with some sort of precious metal is one way to go,” he said. “I’ll figure out something to do with it before it corrodes.”
Hey, why not? It might sound creepy, but I’d probably do it. Can’t hurt anything, and it sounds like he might do something cool with it.
After what looks like his career year in 2014, Hughes was down a bit in 2015 before the disaster that was last year. He was 1-7 with a 5.95 ERA and 1.51 WHIP in 59 innings. He was demoted to the minors, moved to the bullpen and broke a bone in his leg thanks to a comebacker in Miami. Then came the need for the surgery.
Hughes, 30, is on a five-year, $85 million deal that runs through 2019. He was 16-10 with a 3.52 ERA (111 ERA+), 1.13 WHIP and 186 strikeouts against only 16 walks (the best K:BB ratio in history among qualifiers) in 209 2/3 innings in 2014.
