Chase Whitley has partially torn UCL, could face Tommy John surgery
The seemingly endless parade of UCL injuries continues.
On Friday, the New York Yankees received the initial diagnosis on fill-in starter Chase Whitley, who was forced from Thursday’s start against the Tampa Bay Rays with elbow discomfort.
According to MLB.com’s Bryan Hock, the news was not good as an MRI revealed that Whitley’s UCL has a partial tear.
Whitley will seek a second opinion to confirm the diagnosis. From there, it will likely be decision time between elbow ligament replacement surgery, which is more famously known as Tommy John surgery, or rehab.
Given that the early diagnosis is a partial tear, both options should be on the table. Last season, Masahiro Tanaka of the Yankees was diagnosed with a slight tear in his UCL, which he rehabbed and was able to return from before season’s end. He was pitching effectively early this season before suffering a right forearm strain, which ironically opened the rotation spot for Whitley.
Sometimes rehab works with partial tears, though it really only delays the inevitable. The Yankees should have a better idea of the severity of the tear when he visits the doctors in New York.
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Whitley, 25, has been a valuable swingman for Joe Girardi joining the team last season. His 5.02 ERA over 95 career innings is nothing to write home about, but his ability to log innings in multiple roles make him an important piece. His upside is probably what he already is — a back-end starter or long reliever — but every team needs one or two of those types to survive a 162-game schedule.
If there’s good news, it’s that veteran left-hander Chris Capuano is due back very soon from a quadriceps injury. He’s a guy who can fill the same role, though with two Tommy Johns under his belt there’s no way to project what he’ll have left.
The Yankees also hope to have Tanaka back in short order, which would solidify the top of their rotation. Michael Pineda, CC Sabathia, Adam Warren and Nathan Eovaldi make up the Yankees current healthy starters. With two off days next week, they won’t need a fifth starter until the last week in May.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
