Pirates' Burnett on elbow trouble: 'I don't expect it to get better'

A.J. Burnett could spend the final two months of his baseball career on the disabled list.

The 38-year-old will travel to Pittsburgh on Monday for further examination after the Pirates placed him on the disabled list Friday with elbow inflammation, but the veteran right-hander isn't optimistic he'll improve.

"I don't expect it to go away and I don't expect it to get better," Burnett told reporters Sunday morning.

Poised to retire at season's end after 17 seasons in the majors, though, Burnett said surgery is "not an option," his career effectively ending if rest and rehab aren't successful.

Burnett, whose wonderfully turbulent career featured a litany of arm injuries, said he senses his current issue is either with his ulnar collateral ligament or flexor tendon.

"We'll find out about it soon," he said.

Burnett, an All-Star for the first time this season, is all too familiar with UCL problems, opting for Tommy John surgery in 2003 after making just four starts for the Florida Marlins. Resilience is one of the veteran's most pronounced characteristics, though, helping Burnett compile 2,702 2/3 innings through his career - the 50th most among pitchers since 1975.

For now, however, newly acquired left-hander J.A. Happ will replace Burnett in the rotation. Before landing on the disabled list, Burnett crafted a 3.06 ERA (120 ERA+) with a 3.17 career-best strikeout-to-walk over 21 starts.

As for when the discomfort in his elbow started?

"About 10 years ago."