Twins reliever Pat Neshek will undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow and is expected to miss the entire 2009 season, the team just announced.

Neshek originally injured the elbow May 9 in Chicago and missed the rest of the season. He re-injured the elbow in a throwing session last week in Fort Myers, Fla., and underwent an MRI exam today.

The exam showed a complete tear of the ulnar collateral ligament. The surgery date has not been set.

Tommy John surgery is a ligament-replacement procedure, common to modern pitchers. Typical recovery time is 12-15 months. Twins lefthander Francisco Liriano had the procedure in November 2006 and was back for spring training this February.

The Twins hope Neshek will be ready for spring training in 2010, but the Minnesota native will miss pitching the final season at the Metrodome.

Update (6:03 p.m.): Twins GM Bill Smith said, “We’re disappointed because Pat Neshek had made such good progress throughout the summer and fall with his throwing programs. And unfortunately, he reinjured it last week in a throwing session.”

Asked if finding setup relief this offseason, Smith said, “It was a priority and it continues to be a priority. We’re going to have some young players within the organization that get a chance to win a job in the big leagues, and we’re going to continue to look outside at free agents and trades.”

One important point: When Neshek was first injured in May, he received a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews, who agreed with the Twins recommendation to rehab the injury, instead of having surgery.

“I don’t think the plan was wrong,” Smith said. “He reinjured it the other day, and now it’s a complete tear, and that changes the diagnosis completely.”

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