Multiple professional athletes have turned to leading orthopedic surgeons for care so far this year.
1. Ramon Cugat, MD, PhD, performed knee surgery on Riqui Puig, a midfielder for the LA Galaxy. Dr. Cugat completed an anterior cruciate ligament reconstructive surgery on Mr. Puig’s left knee.
2. Norman Waldrop, MD, performed ankle surgery on Bo Nix, a quarterback for the Denver Broncos. The surgery repaired a fractured right ankle Mr. Nix suffered in a playoff game Jan. 17, and will cause him to miss the remainder of the season.
3. Keith Meister, MD, performed elbow surgery on Logan Evans, a pitcher for the Seattle Mariners. Dr. Meister completed an internal brace procedure to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in Mr. Evans’ right arm.
4. Orthopedic surgeon Steven Choung, MD, operated on Orlando City SC defender Robin Jansson at the Orlando (Fla.) Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute. Mr. Jansson had surgery to repair a Jones fracture in the fifth metatarsal of his right foot.
5. Bert Mandelbaum, MD, performed knee surgery on Jimmy Butler, a player for the Golden State Warriors, in Los Angeles. The surgery was to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
6. Keith Meister, MD, performed shoulder surgery on Andrew Saalfrank, a pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks. The left shoulder procedure will cause Mr. Saalfrank to miss the entirety of the upcoming 2026 MLB season.
7. J. Rafe Sales, MD, performed back surgery on Zac McGraw, a defender for the Portland Timbers. Dr. Sales operated on Mr. McGraw’s lumbar spine on Feb. 6 in Portland.
