Terry Collins told reporters tonight that after reviewing a new MRI on Jeremy Hefner‘s elbow, they have confirmed that the righthander will need Tommy John Surgery.
The MRI showed that Hefner has a partial tear of the MCL in his right elbow and that only surgery can repair the damage, which would wipe out most if not all of his 2014 season. Hefner is considering getting another opinion, but the surgery could happen soon, according to Collins.
After getting off to a rough start, Hefner turned a corner in May and was among one of the top pitchers in the league through the All Star Break. When he returned, it was obvious something was wrong as his velocity was down 5-6 mph and his pitches lost some of that great late movement. He finishes the season with a 4-8 record and a 4.34 ERA.
Meanwhile, fellow starter Jenrry Mejia, who was placed on the disabled list on Sunday, will have surgery in the next seven-to-10 days to remove a bone spur in his right elbow and have the elbow cleaned out. The procedure has been described as very minor by the Mets.
During his short stint with the Mets, Mejia displayed the dominance that many scouts had foreseen for him. He finishes the season with a 2.38 ERA and 1.168 WHIP in five starts and in 27.1 innings pitched, the 23-year old righthander struck out 27 batters while walking four.
Mejia has thrust himself into the conversation for the starting rotation for the 2014 season, and barring a setback, his spot in the rotation will be his to lose.
Original Post 8/17
Last week, the Mets announced that Jeremy Hefner had been placed on the disabled list retroactive to August 10, after an examination by team doctors revealed a partially torn MCL in his right elbow. The injury was described as a chronic condition that worsened.
However, it now appears that Hefner is facing the possibility of season-ending Tommy John surgery, according to general manager Sandy Alderson.
“That is a possibility, yeah,” Alderson said of surgery. “I don’t know how serious a possibility, but we have not been able to rule that out at this point.”
The young righthander is now scheduled for a third examination on his right elbow on Monday, after undergoing two exams already.
Though Tommy John surgery is more generally associated with UCL tears, writes Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, Hefner could have his MCL replaced in a similar procedure.
Hefner is 4-8 this season with a 4.34 ERA in 23 starts and one relief appearance this season. In eight starts leading up to the All Star break, the Oklahoma native posted a 1.76 ERA and was the best pitcher on the staff from June 1st through July 8th. He went into a steep decline once the second half started and now we know why.
We wish him a speedy recovery…
(Updated post)
