Miami Marlins ace Jose Fernandez is facing the possibility of Tommy John Surgery which would effectively put him out for the remainder of the season.
Surgeon Neal Attrache recommended the surgery after results from an MRI determined Fernandez has a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament of his pitching arm. However, Fernandez and the Marlins will seek a second opinion with an examination of his right arm from team doctor Lee Kaplan.
A decision won’t be made on the surgery for Fernandez until the results are known from the team doctor exam. Fernandez injured his right elbow against the Padres this past Friday after pitching five innings where he recorded five strikeouts and allowed five runs. It wasn’t until three days later when the Marlins placed Fernandez of the 15-day disabled list.
How big of a loss will this be for the Marlins? Well the 21-year-old Fernandez had a spectacular rookie season last year where he was awarded NL Rookie of the Week twice and ultimately won the 2013 NL Rookie of the Year and finished third in the Cy Young Award voting with 187 strikeouts.
Fernandez has had an impressive season thus far for the Marlins pitching in eight starts with a 4-2 record, 2.44 ERA and a league-leading 70 strikeouts.
Miami is currently sitting at third place in the NL East division only three games behind the Atlanta Braves.
Photo Credit: Miami Herald, CBSSports.com
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