Tyler Chatwood will undergo Tommy John surgery, out for season

As if things were not bad enough for the Colorado Rockies and their battered starting rotation, they received even more bad news on Thursday.

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Tyler Chatwood, he of the breakout 2013 season, will undergo Tommy John surgery and be lost for the season and well into the 2015 season.

The last time Chatwood pitched for the Rockies the calendar had not even flipped to May. The Rockies looked like a good baseball team, and many of us still didn’t know any better. Those were the days, eh?

Out for the period of time since and failing to make much progress with his rehab, Chatwood was re-assessed and it was determined this week that he will undergo his second Tommy John operation.

From Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post:

"Chatwood has not pitched since April 29 when he left a game because of tightness in his elbow. The original diagnosis was a right flexor strain and inflammation in his elbow. Chatwood was making slow progress as he attempted to work his way back, but he abruptly left a live batting practice session last week, clearly upset with how his elbow responded when he attempted to throwing breaking balls……This will be the second time Chatwood will undergo Tommy John surgery. The first came when he was 16 and playing for Redlands East Valley High School in Southern California."

This injury to Chatwood’s pitching elbow, unfortunately, has been in the works since the end of the 2013 season. There was still so much promise, though, thanks to his success last season: in 20 starts he went 8-5 with a 3.15 ERA and a 3.66 FIP. It looked like the Rockies had a found a legitimate third option to follow Jorge De La Rosa and Jhoulys Chacin.

That never came to be in 2014. In just four starts Chatwood posted a 4.50 ERA, 4.89 FIP, and allowed four home runs after allowing eight total last season. Before he was officially on the DL and lost for the season, Chatwood was already pitching like a guy who was hurt.

Worth mentioning at this point is the fact that Chatwood is still only 24 years old. His future with the Rockies might still be bright, but it will be a while before he can make meaningful contributions again.

At least we’ll always have 2013.

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