Rays’ Tyler Glasnow to have Tommy John surgery, likely out until 2023

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery on Wednesday to repair the partially torn ulnar collateral ligament and flexor strain in his throwing arm, the team announced Tuesday.

The right-hander will likely miss all of the 2022 season as a result of the surgery. The decision comes after Glasnow met with Dr. Keith Meister in Texas on Tuesday and expected a recommendation for the procedure.

Glasnow, 27, was cleared to throw off the mound for the first time on Friday, but he continued to experience pain in his elbow.

“I realized there was no way I could go out there and pitch with this kind of pain,” he told reporters on Saturday. “I see a doctor Tuesday, if they see something different, I’m open, but all the signs are leading to surgery.”

The Rays placed Glasnow on the 10-day injured list on June 15 with the UCL injury and flexor strain. He recorded a 2.66 ERA with 123 strikeouts in 88 innings prior to his injury.

Glasnow underwent an MRI in Chicago after feeling tightness and “a little tug” in his right elbow during his last start on June 14 against the White Sox. He exited the game after the fourth inning in the Rays’ 5-2 win.

A day later, after Major League Baseball released its plan to stop pitchers’ use of grip enhancers, Glasnow told reporters he believed his injury came as a result of his recent decision to quit using sunscreen and rosin to get a grip on the ball. He said he went “cold turkey” against the Washington Nationals on June 8, which caused soreness after the start.

“I woke up the next day and it was like, I am sore in places that I didn’t even know I had muscles in,” Glasnow said. “I felt completely different. I switched my fastball grip and my curveball grip. I’ve thrown it the same way for however many years I’ve played baseball.”

(Photo: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images)

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