Indians’ right-hander Cody Anderson is slated for Tommy John surgery, the team confirmed on Sunday. Anderson sustained a UCL sprain in his right elbow several weeks ago and elected to undergo the surgery after a second diagnosis by Dr. Keith Meister also revealed a mild flexor strain (via MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian).
Club manager Terry Francona called the decision “mature,” noting that postponing treatment could aggravate the injury and lengthen the right-hander’s recovery process. Anderson pitched through an entire season of arm discomfort in 2016 and underwent arthroscopic debridement on his right elbow during the offseason. With Tommy John surgery, he’s expected to miss the entire 2017 season and will likely return sometime in 2018.
Anderson, 26, completed his second campaign with the Indians in 2016. He bounced between the rotation and bullpen, putting up an abysmal 6.68 ERA that was made somewhat more palatable by his 1.9 BB/9 and 8.0 SO/9 over 60 2/3 innings. Although he wasn’t a lock for the Indians’ starting rotation in 2017, he gave the club some depth and showed promise as a potential long relief option.
