Nelson, 27, appeared in 11 games for the D-backs in 2024, pitching to a 4.22 ERA. He had three poor outings from April 16 to April 20, allowing five runs in 1 1/3 innings, although he had been experiencing symptoms before then. He was placed on the 15-day injured list on April 23 and then transferred to the 60-day IL a week later.

On Monday, Lovullo gave an update that Nelson was consulting with Dr. Pearl, a vascular surgeon in the Dallas area who performed Merrill Kelly’s surgery in 2020. He clarified that it was a neurogenic issue, the more common form of thoracic outlet syndrome. this is the expected procedure for thoracic outlet decompression surgery:

During surgery to correct Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, both the first rib — the uppermost of the ribs, which is attached to the first thoracic vertebrae at the base of the neck, angles down and connects to the sternum just below the collarbone — and the scalene muscles are removed to clear space for the nerves in the thoracic outlet.