New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is set to have his fourth surgery on his forearm next week after dealing with complications over the offseason.
According to ESPN.com, Gronkowski will have surgery on his left forearm next week with orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews consulting on it, while the actual surgery will be performed by Dr. Jesse Jupiter of Massachusetts General Hospital. The reports says that Jupiter specializes in the care of traumatic and reconstructive problems of the upper limb, including fracture healing and failure to heal.
Gronkowski suffered an infection in the arm and the new surgery would help to replace the plate inserted into his forearm and he should be out for 10 weeks, which means he would return at the start of training camp for Tom Brady. Gronk was originally hurt during the season in November and then returned in the finale against the Dolphins before breaking it once against against the Texans in the playoffs. Gronkowski has been healthy for his entire career up to this point, never missing a single game before being injured against the Colts. He dealt with an ankle injury in the Super Bowl last season, but played through the pain against the Giants. This season he has also been dealing with a nagging hip injury.
Gronkowski had 55 receptions for 790 yards and league-leading 11 touchdowns despite playing in just 11 games. Despite missing that time, Gronkowski was named to the Pro Bowl for the second time in his career. Last season he set a position record with 17 touchdowns to go along with 90 receptions for 1,327 yards.
The Patriots went 4-1 during the regular season without Gronkowski, but are much more dangerous with him in the lineup. Hernandez had made 46 catches for 439 yards and five touchdowns while playing in nine games before Gronkowski returned and he will need to continue that type of production as the team moves further in the playoffs.
