The rash of Tommy John surgeries has taken another victim in what has been a busy start of the year. This time, the injured player is one of the brightest young pitchers in all of baseball.
Tampa Bay Rays’ Matt Moore – who was selected as an All-Star in 2013 in his second full season in the Majors – has decided to undergo the TJ process after suffering an injury in the April 7th game against the Kansas City Royals.
After suffering some discomfort following a changeup in the fifth inning of that game, Moore looked visibly in pain. After a conference with the manager Joe Maddon and the athletic trainer of the team, Moore decided to leave the game and submitted himself to exams to see what was going on.
Following two MRIs and a visit to Dr. James Andrews, Moore decided to undergo the procedure and he will be sidelined for the reminder of the campaign. It’s not Moore’s first time on the DL as he already suffered an elbow issue last year. Last year’s injury was also caused while throwing a changeup so Moore might have to tweak his delivery to avoid further elbow issues.
Moore went 17-4 with a 3.29 ERA in 27 starts last season. He will finish the 2014 season with a 0-2 record and a 2.79 ERA in two starts and his return is scheduled for some time next year.