O's Erickson Out 6-8 Weeks

March 1, 2000 / 6:00 PM EST / CBS/AP

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Scott Erickson will have arthroscopic surgery Friday to remove bone chips from his right elbow and miss 6-to-8 weeks.

Dr. Lewis Yocum, who will operate in Los Angeles, discovered the chips in a CAT scan on the elbow.

Erickson will return to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. during the weekend and remain inactive for 7-10 days to allow swelling to subside. He'll then begin a rehabilitation program designed by Yocum.

"Is it good news? Definitely, yes," said Syd Thrift, the Orioles' vice president of baseball operations. "I suspected it had something to do with particles. Sometimes they get lodged and it locks the elbow."

Erickson hasn't thrown since Feb. 21 because of inflammation and stiffness. He also sprained his right ankle while jogging Sunday, and was scratched from the club's exhibition opener Friday against the Cincinnati Reds.

The Orioles most likely will fill Erickson's spot in the rotation from within, although they'll continue to pursue another starter. Jose Mercedes, Calvin Maduro, Radhames Dykhoff and Matt Riley are the most obvious candidates in the spring training camp.

Mercedes is a non-roster player, Maduro is out of options and would have to clear waivers before being sent to the minors, Dykhoff never started until this winter and Riley began last season at Single-A Frederick before making three September starts with Baltimore.

Erickson started last season with a 1-8 record before winning 14 of his last 18 decisions. He led the AL with three shutouts, was tied for second with six complete games and topped 200 innings for the fourth straight season.

"Hopefully, this won't affect the rest of the starters too much," said Mike Mussina, who threw two scoreless innings in Wednesday's intrasquad game. "We can't pitch on his day. We can only do what we can as individuals. We can't do any more than what our jobs are."