Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Jeffrey Springs has been one of the reasons the team got off to such a great start of the season.
They are 14-3 and boast the best record in the majors, and it’s in large part thanks to Springs’ 2-0 record and 0.56 ERA in 16 innings.
Unfortunately, he had to leave Thursday’s start against the Boston Red Sox with an injury.
Last week, the Rays said he would miss two months and that they were still gathering information.
On Tuesday, they officially placed the southpaw on the 15-day injured list with “a left elbow flexor strain.”
However, it gets worse: the talented pitcher is expected to be out until 2024 because he will undergo Tommy John surgery, per the Tampa Bay Times.
Updated breaking #Rays news: Springs expected to have Tommy John surgery, will be sidelined into 2024 season
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) April 18, 2023
Top pitching prospect Taj Bradley will be the one taking his spot in Tampa Bay’s starting rotation for now, at least until Tyler Glasnow is ready to return.
Springs will be missed, as he had developed into one of the best pitchers in the American League to kick off the 2023 campaign.
In fact, he was already impressive last year in 135.1 innings, with a 2.46 ERA and more than a strikeout per inning.
His 2023 performance is not entirely new, although he appeared to have reached another level before his unfortunate elbow injury.
Hopefully he will be back dominating at some point in 2024, but this is nothing but crushing news for a Rays team that has shown the ability to develop more talented depth, but can’t keep suffering huge blows like this one.
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Rays Remain Hot Despite Historic Streak Ending
