Tom Browning's broken left arm won't need surgery, the Cincinnati Reds orthopedist decided after examining it.
The Reds issued a brief statement Wednesday saying that Dr. Scott Jolson confirmed the initial evaluation that Browning sustained a "fractured humerus at the insertion of the deltoid tendon."The humerus is the big bone between the elbow and the shoulder.
The statement said Browning would be out of the lineup at least two months, but did not say what caused the break.
Browning's arm broke as he threw a pitch Monday night in a 3-2 victory in San Diego. Browning fell to the ground after making a pitch in the sixth inning and was taken off on a stretcher.
Doctors at the Scripps Clinic in San Diego realigned the broken bone, and Browning returned home Tuesday. He has not discussed the injury, and said through the team's publicity department that he won't grant interviews for several days.
The injury leaves Browning, 34, with an uncertain future, even if he completely recovers. He is in the final year of a four-year, $11.9 million contract that contains an option year for 1995.
He would have automatically gotten another year at $3.5 million if he pitched 200 innings this season or the Reds traded him. Instead, the Reds can buy out the option year for $583,333.