A’s Jarrod Parker has “no doubt” he will try to pitch again

Jarrod Parker spoke to the media for the first time since re-fracturing the medial epicondyle in his right elbow earlier this month and the onetime A’s ace said there is “no doubt” he will try to pitch again.

Parker has had two Tommy John surgeries, and after two traumatic events such as medial epicondyle avulsion fractures 10 months apart, he probably will need a third Tommy John surgery, according to various medical experts.

The question will be, after repeat fractures, whether there is an adequate area to anchor a new ligament or even the existing UCL.

Dr. Neal ElAttrache will perform the surgery on April 1 in Los Angeles, and ElAtrrache, a superstar orthopedist who has worked on Tom Brady and Kobe Bryant, is known for cutting-edge procedures, and he has some unusual techniques for Tommy John surgeries, especially revisions; it’s possible he might be able to anchor a new ligament with just one drill hole, according to one medical expert.

Parker said he’s unsure exactly what the surgery will entail, saying “I don’t know if there’s a term,” but he knows that ElAtrrache is using methods that are outside the norm.

No player ever has returned from a fractured medial epicondyle to pitch in the majors, but Parker is only 27, he’s talented and he’s a model patient, a hard worker who has remained upbeat through many grueling rehabs.