Dillon Gee underwent a favorable examination three weeks after surgery to repair a damaged artery that had caused his arm to go numb. Still, Gee told ESPNNewYork.com on Friday night that he has all but ruled out a 2012 return.

"Probably not," Gee said about reappearing this season. "Let's say I start throwing Sept. 1. To come back for a game, I'd have to be ready in two to three weeks, after being out at that point it would be almost two months. I think it would be unrealistic to say that."

Gee underwent surgery on July 13 in St. Louis to patch an artery in his pitching shoulder that had been 96 percent blocked. Had he not treated the issue when he did, Gee could have suffered permanent muscle-tissue damage that may have jeopardized his career. Doctors informed him the artery damage likely was the result of his repetitive pitching motion. He lost near-complete feeling in his right arm and doctors could not find a pulse in the limb on July 8, the day after his final first-half start.

"They said it looks great. I'm progressing fast," Gee said about the three-week post-op examination. "It's still three more weeks until the six-week checkup. That's where they're going to clear me to throw, hopefully. It's still too premature for me to start throwing now. They just want to make sure it still heals right. But I feel great. My hand feels good. I haven't had any numbness or anything since then. Other than just a little soreness from the overall inflammation from the surgery, I felt fine."