Angels right-hander Garrett Richards has opted to undergo Tommy John surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, tweets J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group. The news comes on the heels of a recent announcement from the Angels in which they revealed that an MRI had identified some damage to Richards’ right UCL. He was presented with both surgical and non-surgical treatment plans and had been weighing the decision over the past 24 hours.
Richards’ UCL tear comes at the worst possible time for the right-hander (not that there’s ever a “good” one), as he’d been slated to hit free agency at season’s end. The 30-year-old had previously rehabbed some UCL damage without surgery back in 2016, opting instead for stem-cell and platelet-rich plasma treatment (much in the same vein as Ervin Santana and Masahiro Tanaka, each of whom has avoided going under the knife entirely, to date). While that appeared to stave off a significant enough UCL tear to require surgical repair, though, Richards missed nearly all of the 2017 season with a biceps issue.
The 2018 season had been a largely healthy one for Richards, at least in terms of his right arm. He missed about three weeks due to a hamstring strain but had otherwise pitched well. However, in his just his second start back from that hamstring issue, he departed after three innings due to ever-ominous “forearm irritation” — a symptom that has increasingly proven to be a precursor to ligament damage.
Richards, now, will miss the remainder of the 2018 season and most, if not all of the 2019 season as well. He’ll still garner interest on the free-agent market, of course, but what at one point might’ve been an annual salary of $12MM+ on a multi-year deal may now drop to something along the lines of the two-year deals signed by Drew Smyly ($10MM), Michael Pineda ($10MM) and Nathan Eovaldi ($4MM) while each of those respective hurlers recovers from his own Tommy John procedure.
Alternatively, Richards could simply follow the route that both Greg Holland and Trevor Rosenthal have taken — opting not to sign a deal at all in the coming offseason and then auditioning for teams to demonstrate his health the following offseason. Either way, it’s quite possible that Richards has tossed his final game as a member of the Angels.
Devastating as the news must be to Richards, Hoornstra notes that the right-hander is approaching his latest injury with about as positive an outlook as possible (Twitter link).
“I’ll be back,” Richards said.“I’ll be ready. Everything will be fine. I’ll get through this. I’m going to be positive about this. I’m not going to dwell on the negative stuff. This is what was presented to me, and this is what I’ve got to deal with. Just try and tackle it.”
For the Angels, the move comes as a crushing blow. With just three weeks remaining until the non-waiver deadline, the loss of Richards will only further the seemingly inevitable reality that the team will need to look beyond the 2018 season and sell off short-term assets on the trade market this year. However, Richards was the top short-term asset the Angels had to market to other clubs, and he’ll now be taken off the market entirely, thus depriving the the team of the possibility of recouping any kind of prospect return for the loss of one of their longtime top starters.
Beyond all of that, the Angels will continue to face scrutiny for the rampant injury troubles that have permeated their rotation in recent seasons. In the last three years alone, the Angels have had Richards, Andrew Heaney, Tyler Skaggs, Nick Tropeano, J.C. Ramirez, Keynan Middleton, Blake Wood and John Lamb undergo Tommy John surgery, and that already plentiful list doesn’t include the current UCL tear through which Shohei Ohtani is playing (while serving only as a designated hitter). Meanwhile, others such as Alex Meyer, Nate Smith and Matt Shoemaker have gone under the knife for myriad other reasons.
Certainly not all of those injuries can be pinned on the Angels. Meyer’s shoulder troubles, for example, date back to his days with the Twins, while Lamb has had injuries of his own and was only briefly in the organization before requiring surgery. Ohtani was known to have some UCL damage at the time he was signed, though reports following the Angels’ recent announcement suggested this to be a new tear. Regardless, the barrage of pitching injuries the Angels have faced in recent years is undoubtedly something that’ll prompt a deep dive from the front office as it seeks to determine if there’s more than sheer coincidence and misfortune at play.
Padres2019ha
Shame
dgid
Let the bodies hit the floor. Let the bodies hit the floor
partyatnapolis
lmao
matt41265
geez poor Garrett also feel bad for trout guy deserves to be on a winning team
Long Duc Dong
This just in Mike Scioscia has been diagnosed with a tear in his UCL and will undergo TJS
aj_54
ha
angels fan 3
Unnecessary comment
Long Duc Dong
Lol
GareBear
Have a sense of humor, it was funny
drjose
I laughed.
HaloShane
I laughed too, the teams one BIG joke.
madmanTX
I expected to hear Scioscia got a hernia getting up off the dugout bench…
Long Duc Dong
Lol
HalosHeavenJJ
Ha ha. At the speed he moves ha ha.
murphy
I expect to hear rangers winning oh wait/
xabial
Someone already made this joke in Sandy Alderson contract extension thread. Your heart was in right place, and i think it was made in good taste.
I remember watching NBA, couple years ago and I saw Andrea Bargani tear his UCL elbow on a failed dunk… TJ isn’t career ending. More common than you think. Probably in more sports, than you realize.
bugman_t
Bye bye Richards.
jdgoat
Poor, poor Angels. How many pitching injuries can one team have?
bravesfan88
I’m not entirely sure, but you might possibly be able to get a better answer by asking the Mets..??
Over the past few seasons, it just about always seems like someone from the Mets or the Angels requires TJ surgery…
I’m not entirely sure why, maybe a coincidence, but I’m not someone that believes in coincidences, so it begs the question as to why it happens to their pitchers seemingly more than others??
Is it poor coaching, from overuse, allowing their pitchers to pitch through pain and discomfort, or by theor pitching coaches not cleaning up mechanics??
Is it due to poor drafting, selecting pitchers with bad mechanics, whose deliveries/motions put more pressure on their ligaments??
Is it due to a lack of a quality strength and conditioning program??
Are they getting bad advice from their team’s doctors, when there is some pain or doscomfort??
Idk, but there has to be some common theme you’d think, since it seems to happen to the Nets and Angels pitchers more so than others..
Solaris601
I have to agree that there is more than mere coincidence and bad luck to blame in these 2 organizations. There is a factor or specific factors to account for it, and NYM and LAA will go nowhere until they identify the causes and address them. When you look at the incidence of injury and subsequent surgeries in organizations like HOU, PIT, PHI, and ATL (for instance) in the past 3 years and compare those statistics to LAA and NYM, it really drives home the point that this isn’t some random phenomenon/bad luck.
rick68
probably pitched his last game as an angel. to bad.
halos101
so over pitching injuries. Can’t imagine this guys pain right now after another injury
Adam6710
He’s made nearly $25,000,000 in his career playing baseball for 6 years. Hard to feel sorry for him. Especially considering he’s likely bounce back in a year or so and sign another contract worth more millions.
Zach725
It’s not always about the money. The guy wants to play, and he just can’t stay healthy.
downsr30
I hate this response.. if a person lost a loved one tragically, would you say “they’re rich, I don’t feel bad for them.” This guy’s career is in jeopardy, and if he’s like a lot of baseball players, doing what he loves at a high level is at risk.
Adam6710
This is not life or death, this is just his career, a career he’s had for 6 seasons and earned 25M and will likely continue after he recovers from Tommy John– a surgery that is downright routine these days..
So no, i’m not sympathetic for him. He’s gotten to live his dream and earn tens of millions doing it. And if somehow his playing days WERE over today, he could very easily stay in the game, and have a post-playing career with an organization as a scout, coach, or executive.
Even he would likely tell you how fortunate he’s been in his life and career.
Lou Gherig said it best.
halos101
Lol the guy works his butt off but can’t catch a break. That’s gotta be tough on the mindset. You can be jealous of an athlete but saying you don’t care what happens to them cause they make money is ridiculous.
Paul Heyman
The Angels might as well start thinking about how to fix this mystery injury that’s been hitting them hard.
trident
Stop drafting cupcakes.
thesheriffisnear
Cause only tough guys avoid torn ligaments
trident
Damn straight, when was the last you heard of Chuck Norris whining about a torn ligament?
#Fantasygeekland
I’m sure they had already started thinking about it
Gobbysteiner
This guy is really really good when healthy but unfortunately he just can’t stay healthy. You gotta feel bad for the guy, All that talent being sidelined.
HalosHeavenJJ
harsh all the way around. Richards has worked his way back from so many injuries, and he’s another one as he hits the wrong side of 30 and free agency.
The Angels lose their best trade chip at a time when the farm is improving, but still thin.
Zach725
Someone will give him a 2 year deal as a high risk, high reward.
JoeyPankake
Doctors should just perform an appendectomy and Tommy John surgery at birth.
lowtalker1
Didn’t he injury his elbow a few years ago and did injections? Maybe he should have just gotten the surgery then
HalosHeavenJJ
In 2017 he had stem cell injections instead of TJS. According to all reports, the ligament healed. His thinking back then was likely trying to stay healthy in the lead up to his free agency.
With his velocity and mechanics, though, I’m not sure even TJS back then would prevent another elbow injury.
R.D.
It seems like tjs is down a significant amount since 5 years ago. Still a bummer to see.
Cat Mando
2012 was the all time high but it hasn’t really dropped that much…2011 (29)….2012 (46)….2013 (25)….2014 (30)…..2015 (30)…..2016 (20)…..2017 (19)….. 2018 so far (21). Also have to consider that the latest study has shown that now 75% of TJS are done on 15-19 year old kids. That is up from 50% a few years ago and 25% in the mid 2000’s
HalosHeavenJJ
That number on kids is ridiculous.
I live in Orange County, CA where baseball is played year round. I understand wanting to get the reps and get ahead, but over use injuries are far too common.
Bill
So I’ve always wondered, in a case like this, who pays for his medical care and rehab if he becomes a FA?
Adam6710
This is likely why he chose to do the surgery now, he can get most of it paid for by the Indians before his contract is up, and sign a one or two year deal in the spring with a team willing to make an investment in his recovery. Smart move, really.
Solaris601
LAA is only responsible for his medical treatment/rehab until his contract expires on the last day of the season. After that he’s on his own unless MLB extends medical coverage to free agents under COBRA.
sheff86
He is medically covered until given a clean bill of health or until completion of PT. Of course if he signs with another team,that contract comes to the forefront. Also the MLBPA can argue on the player’s behalf that rehabilitation was not completed/or performed in the best interest of the player.
All contracts end at the completion of the season and in the CBA the free agency period begins on an agreed time after the WS has been completed.
SirPartyAnimal
he should have had it two years ago. he opted for different treatment and has been hurt off and on ever sense. had he opted to do it the first time they asked he would have been healthy by now.
ericl
Maybe it is time for the Angels to evaluate the way they handle pitchers in their organization. They have had an awful lot of UCL injuries. Something is going on there
Angelfanforlife19
The new approach and formula should be sign 50-60% pitchers and lock up all the way to year 30 and a complete overhaul of their pitching program.
angels fan 3
Minor detail Skaggs had Tommy John in 2014
jaysfan1994
Poor guy, he’s going to missout on a nice payday via Free Agency because of this injury.
Adam6710
Poor guy has only made $25M so far in his career!
halos101
jealousy is not a good trait
natsgm
Maybe people should start talking about Mike Scioscia ruining pitchers instead always jumping right to Dusty Baker as the king of that.
HaloShane
On a positive note his contract is up. Dude is soft and is hurt year after year. Let’s just hope the Angels are intelligent enough to not resign him……
rez2405 2
I was thinking the exact opposite.. now would be the time to offer him a minor league contract at minimum salary. If I were Richards I’d be grateful I’d get that.. perfect buy low candidate because you know what he can do.. and if he doesnt recover (again) the investment would be peanuts
Adam6710
You think he’d accept minor league minimum? I guarantee you there’s a team out there willing to take a chance for much more.
Nathan Eovaldi had Tommy John in August 2016 while with the Yankees. In the off-season he signed a 1-yr $2M deal with the Rays that included a 2018 team option, which was exercised. He continued making MILLIONS of dollars while rehabbing, and is now doing well enough that he’ll probably earn a bigger contract in the offseason.
Michael Pineda, another Yankee, underwent UCL surgery in July of last season prior to hitting free agency. He signed a 2-year $10 MILLION DOLLAR DEAL with the Twins, and has yet to pitch. He’s making FIVE MILLION DOLLARS while getting cutting edge medical treatment.
Guaranteed, Richards will sign something along those lines with a team willing to take chance on his recovery. If he bounces back and gets back on the mound for 2020 someone’s going to get a very good pitcher for a big discount, and if he pitches well, could be a great trade chip at the 2020 trade deadline.
1988wasalongtimeago
Hasn’t he been injured for two years though? Didn’t he have plasma injections some years ago?
Cat Mando
That info is literally in the 2nd paragraph…smh