Pittsburgh Pirates Lose Starting Pitcher For Season with Elbow Injury

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Vince Velasquez will undergo elbow surgery that will cost him the rest of this season, and a good portion of 2024 as well.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Vince Velasquez will undergo elbow surgery that will cost him the rest of this season, and a good portion of 2024 as well.

He had been on the injured list since late May but the Pirates got the worse news on Friday.

The following update comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:

Velasquez underwent season-ending surgery Friday on his right elbow, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

ANALYSIS
Velasquez was originally diagnosed with elbow inflammation when he landed back on the injured list May 28, but further testing revealed the need for a surgical repair of his ulnar collateral ligament. It was not Tommy John surgery, but he's likely to miss 11-to-12 months anyway. The 31-year-old right-hander finishes the 2023 campaign with a 3.86 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 37:14 K:BB in eight starts (37.1 innings) with the Pirates. He is scheduled to become a free agent this winter.

That's a tough break all the way around. First, the Pirates are one of the surprise teams in baseball this year and could certainly use all contributors being healthy. They enter play on Friday at 32-29 and just 1.0 game back in the National League Central.

It's also a brutal break for Velasquez, who certainly has lost out on earning potential and career stability. It's likely he's not signed headed into spring training and has no idea who he'll be playing for next year.

He's in his ninth major league season and has played for the Pirates, the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago White Sox.

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