All you need to know about what happened Jeffrey Springs as the Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher is set to face a big setback.
Last Thursday, when Tampa Bay Rays southpaw starter Jeffrey Springs was taken out of the game in the fourth inning, he was holding his left elbow and flexing his pitching hand. It was a horrific scene that we’ve not seen all too often, and the news that came down on Tuesday afternoon confirmed our worst fears.
The Tampa Bay Times reports that Springs, who was initially diagnosed with left ulnar neuritis, would instead have Tommy John surgery. Pitchers often miss at least a year and perhaps upwards of 15 or 16 months after surgery to repair a ruptured ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow.
That means the Rays won’t see Springs again until at least 2024, and that’s assuming he can come back at all next year. Any further setbacks would end his season as well.
The 30-year-old Springs had a career year with the Rays in 2017, and he is already being talked about as a potential All-Star and even Cy Young Award winner. He had 25 starts and 8 relief appearances last year, totaling 135 1/3 innings of work. He had a 2.46 ERA (149 ERA+), 1.07 WHIP, 144 Ks, and 31 BB in 145 2/3 innings. Springs went 2-0 in his three starts this year with a 0.56 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, 24 strikeouts, and 4 walks over 16 innings pitched.
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