Injured Niners QB Brock Purdy Turns to Rangers for Help

The former Iowa State star led the San Francisco 49ers to the NFC Championship game before injuring his elbow.

Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy took the San Francisco 49ers on a ride last season. He took over the starting job due to injury in December and led the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game.

The Niners lost that game to the Philadelphia Eagles, and in the process Purdy — a former Iowa State star — injured his elbow.

After the game, it was learned he injured the ulnar collateral ligament in his right arm. If you’re a baseball fan, you know it better by the surgery that corrects the injury — Tommy John surgery.

This is where the Texas Rangers come in.

The Rangers train in Surprise, Ariz. Purdy is from Arizona and makes his offseason home there.

This week, Purdy will meet again with the doctor that will perform the surgery — Dr. Keith Meister.

If you’re a Rangers fan, you’re familiar with his work.

Meister has been the Rangers’ team physician since 2004. He’s considered one of the foremost surgeons in professional sports when it comes to UCL repair, or Tommy John surgery.

When the Rangers have a player that needs Tommy John surgery, they turn to Meister. Current players like Cole Ragans, Jose Leclerc and Jonathan Hernandez have recently had the procedure.

Rangers prospect Avery Weems underwent the procedure and will miss the 2023 season.

Purdy’s surgery was postponed last week due to elbow inflammation, per 49ers general manager John Lynch. In fact, Lynch said it was Meister who made the decision to postpone the surgery, which was scheduled for Feb. 22.

So the meeting between Meister and Purdy in Queen Creek is basically a check to make sure the inflammation has gone down enough to have the surgery next week.

And where will the surgery be?

Arlington, Texas. Of course.

Assuming all goes well with the surgery, Lynch expects Purdy to be able to resume football activities in six months.

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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