Padres pitcher Dinelson Lamet will undergo Tommy John surgery next week, taking him out of commission for the rest of the season, the club confirmed Friday.
Coming off an impressive rookie campaign, the Padres had Lamet in the rotation going into this year’s season.
But the 25-year-old right-hander was dealing with issues in his pitching elbow.
Initially, the Padres hoped Lamet’s injury was strictly muscular. They planned a six-week rehab period, but a follow-up MRI revealed damage to his ulnar collateral ligament.
Friday Lamet announced he’d opted for surgery.
“In terms of the timing, it’s hard,” he said.
“He was our highest upside guy sitting here in our rotation,” Padres manager Andy Green said. “That stings. You don’t just replace him. I loved the way he went through Spring Training, too — with an edge. It was with a belief that he was going to pitch at the top of the rotation.”
The decision to go for surgery was made in consultation with the team.
“There were other methods out there, other things that I could have maybe tried,” Lamet said. “But we all agreed this was probably the best route, the most sure, the most secure route going forward to be able to get back and be able to throw the way I can throw — instead of maybe coming back and having less velocity or not being myself.”
Padres general manager A.J. Preller hopes to have Lamet back in the rotation next season.
“He had a really nice rookie year last year and looked like he was on the verge of taking some steps forward,” Preller said. “The expectation is he’s back with us in a year, and he’s a big part of our future.”
–Staff
