BRADENTON, Fla. -- Kip Wells is expected to return to the Pirates' rotation this season -- possibly within the first half -- after having a successful surgery yesterday to address a blocked artery, a source close to Wells said last night.

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The surgery was performed by Dr. Robert Thompson at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, and it produced the optimal outcome in that Wells needed only a vein transplant from his leg to the affected area in his right armpit. The recovery period for such a procedure has been as quick as two months for some pitchers.

There had been concern Wells would need to have a rib removed to relieve pressure on the artery, as has happened in similar cases, but that did not happen. If it had, he would have missed the season.

The Pirates released no information on Wells, but they are expected to make an announcement today at the latest.

Thompson is the noted vascular surgeon from Washington University who diagnosed Wells Feb. 25 as having complete blockage of the axillary artery, the primary vessel for blood running from the heart to the arm.

In the week before that, Wells was ordered to stop pitching in spring training after complaining of arm fatigue. The Pirates' medical staff detected he had a different pulse in his right arm than his left, then sent him to Thompson for tests.

Thompson has operated on two other Major League Baseball players: Colorado Rockies pitcher Aaron Cook missed eight months in 2004, and Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Luis Terrero missed five months the previous year. But those surgeries are not comparable to Wells' because each had a rib removed.