D-backs’ Walker has partial tear in UCL, needs Tommy John surgery
Apr 18, 2018, 3:55 PM | Updated: 5:00 pm
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Taijuan Walker throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, April 8, 2018, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Taijuan Walker needs Tommy John surgery for a partial tear in his UCL, D-backs manager Torey Lovullo told reporters Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Lovullo said Walker’s initial MRI showed a “UCL injury” and Walker would receive a second opinion in New York on Wednesday. He was originally placed on the 10-day disabled list on Sunday with right forearm inflammation.
“It’s terribly disappointing,” Lovullo said.
Matt Koch will fill in for Walker’s scheduled start on Friday against the San Diego Padres.
The second opinion confirmed what the D-backs had seen from the MRI. Walker was on his way back from New York at the time Lovullo spoke and there were no details available for when Walker would have the surgery.
Teammate Patrick Corbin was out 18 months when he had the surgery.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports that if it’s smooth sailing for Walker, he could be back after the All-Star break in 2019, which would be in July of that year.
Walker pitched two innings on Saturday in a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers before he left with forearm tightness in his throwing arm.
The right-hander remained on the mound after a visit with the trainer, but the D-backs decided to pull Walker after his velocity dropped in the end of his second frame.
“The one thing that I heard that made me think that the conclusion would be OK, that he would finish the outing and go on doing what he’s doing, was he’s felt something like this before,” Lovullo told Burns & Gambo on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station before the results of the MRI were revealed Tuesday.
“Once we got him into the dugout, we all started to feel a little bit more concerned. We saw it a little bit different and we thought, once again, we’re going to put Taijuan in the best situation to be safe.”
Lovullo added that the drop in velocity wasn’t initially concerning to him because Walker remained accurate.
The manager said the decision to pull the starter and place him on the 10-day disabled list on Sunday was precautionary.
“What I was told is that the velocity isn’t the main feature when somebody gets hurt and there’s a lot of damage done to the elbow — it’s the aim and the touch and the feel is to what mostly goes in the wrong direction,” Lovullo said.
Arizona initially recalled reliever Silvino Bracho in wake of Walker’s injury, and Bracho pitched a career-high 3.0 innings Sunday in a loss to the Dodgers.
A part of the 2016 Jean Segura trade with the Seattle Mariners, Walker followed up a 9-9 record and 3.49 ERA in 2017 with an ERA of 3.45 in 13 innings this season. Per Spotrac, the D-backs have two more years of control on Walker after this season before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2021 at the age of 28.
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