The Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy has been diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and will undergo Tommy John surgery, which will force him to miss 9-12 months. The first to report the news was Bill Shaikin of the LA Times.
The 31-year-old struggled in the past, but was making huge gains in Dodger blue. He had multiple shoulder injuries in the past, but those issues were finally behind him. This loss is a huge bummer for both Los Angeles and McCarthy.
This is awful news for the Dodgers because they have lost another starting pitcher. Earlier in the offseason, Hyun-jin Ryu went down and his return is not known to the exact date, except that he will be back sometime in the next few months.
The Dodgers will have to make a corresponding move to help the rotation. They could either search the trade market or stick with Scott Baker and Mike Bolsinger.
Just a few hours later, the Dodgers placed him on the 15-day disabled list that is retroactive to April 26. The Dodgers recalled lefty Adam Liberatore from Triple-A Oklahoma City. However, McCarthy will be out until the 2016 All-Star break.
McCarthy had an outstanding 3-0 start with a weak 5.87 ERA in four start to the season with the Dodgers. He has played with the Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, and now the Dodgers in his 10 year MLB career.
The starter pitched in 23.0 innings and gave up 15 earned runs on 24 hits and four walks. McCarthy's main issue was giving up nine home runs in those innings. That gave him a 3.5 home run per nine innings ratio. However, the 7.25 strikeouts per walk ratio was the best of his career.