SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — One of the doctors who assisted in a procedure last year on Yankees pitcher Bartolo Colon says that 10 other pitchers have expressed interest in undergoing the treatment that is being scrutinized by Major League Baseball.
Dr. Leonel Liriano said in a Dominican TV interview that about 10 pitchers between the ages of 21 to 37 have contacted him about the possibility of getting the controversial medical treatment.
The Dominican doctor did not disclose the identities of the athletes during his interview with the Sport Week program on Channel 13.
Liriano is the medical director for United States-based Regenocyte in the Dominican Republic. The company specializes in the use of stem cells for regenerative therapy.
He has denied that the treatment that the 37-year-old Colon received in April 2010 involved the use of banned substances and stressed that his medical team consulted with Colon’s agent and lawyers in New York before beginning the treatment in the pitcher’s native Dominican Republic.
Liriano said Colon, the 2005 AL Cy Young Award winner, was treated with a procedure designed to regenerate tissue in his shoulder and elbow. The treatment took place in the city of Santiago, about 90 miles north of Santo Domingo.
The Yankees notified MLB upon learning of the procedure. League spokesman Pat Courtney has told the New York Times that it is “looking into it.”
After spending last season out of the major leagues, Colon agreed to a minor league deal in February. He pitched well in spring training and earned a spot in the starting rotation, which he’s solidified with a few strong performances and the nagging injury to fellow starting pitcher Phil Hughes.
