Gene J. Puskar, Associated Press John Van Benschoten was 1-3 with a 6.91 ERA after being promoted from Nashville in August. Click photo for larger image. More Pirates Coverage: Pirates Q&A with Dejan Kovacevic

John Van Benschoten's season could be over before he has a chance to climb a mound.

The Pirates have learned that Van Benschoten, a right-hander who was their first-round draft pick in 2001, has a slightly torn labrum and a cyst in his throwing shoulder. He will see noted orthopedist Dr. James Andrews today in Birmingham, Ala., to determine if surgery is necessary. If it is, it will be 10-12 months until he can pitch competitively again.

Van Benschoten yesterday seemed resigned to having surgery and missing the coming season.

"It's very disappointing, to say the least," he said. "Obviously, this was the year I wanted to make a name for myself, establish myself as a major-leaguer. But I'm just 24. A year is nothing for me right now. I'm just going to have to be patient and do things the right way to get back."

Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield said the team is not assuming surgery is inevitable.

"We'll wait until we have Dr. Andrews' diagnosis," Littlefield said. "Until we have that, it's too early get into any kind of projections."

The injury was a surprise to Van Benschoten and the Pirates.

Van Benschoten made his first five major-league starts last season after an Aug. 18 promotion from Class AAA Nashville, going 1-3 with a 6.91 earned run average. But he was shut down after a Sept. 18 start with what the Pirates described as shoulder fatigue in his throwing arm.

In mid-November, Van Benschoten had surgery on his non-throwing shoulder to repair a completely torn labrum and loose rotator cuff. That injury bothered him for much of last season, he said, but only when he batted.

Van Benschoten engaged in some light throwing in December, but the Pirates prevented him from taking a baseball at their minicamp Jan. 10-16 in Bradenton, Fla., because they wanted him to have full range of motion. Van Benschoten declared while there that he "absolutely" would be ready for the start of spring training.

He began a throwing program at PNC Park the day after minicamp, completing an indoor sideline session from 45 feet that spanned five minutes. Two days later, he threw from 60 feet. Shortly after that, he said, he first felt pain.

"Something didn't feel right," he said. "There was a pinching feeling that wasn't there before. It wasn't like anything that I was feeling last season or ever before."

The Pirates' medical staff performed a magnetic resonance imaging scan late last week and discovered the injury.

"It's really tough to figure out what happened," Van Benschoten said. "Everything was going along really well, and this comes out of nowhere."

Van Benschoten sought and received a second opinion before having the surgery two months ago on his non-throwing shoulder. Littlefield would not say if that second opinion matched that of the Pirates' medical staff.

"The player has a right to a second opinion," Littlefield said. "He had his second opinion, and he got it done."

Littlefield added that the team "definitely approved" the procedure once Van Benschoten had received the second opinion.

---

Click here for more Major League Baseball news.