New York Mets Starting Pitcher Seth Lugo Has Slight UCL Tear

New York Mets starting pitcher Seth Lugo has a partial tear in the UCL ligament in his right elbow.

The New York Mets received some bad news, albeit with a caveat, in regards to starting pitcher Seth Lugo. Lugo was diagnosed with arm fatigue over the weekend, forcing him to begin the season on the disabled list. An MRI revealed that there was no structural damage, but that does not seem to be true.

It was revealed today that Lugo actually has some damage in his elbow. He has a slight tear in his UCL, which usually sounds the alarm for Tommy John surgery. That is bad news for Lugo and the Mets, but there is a small positive to take out of this in that he will not need surgery, at least right away.

Newsday’s Marc Craig said that surgery will not be needed. He received a PRP injection and will rest instead of undergoing surgery.

Per team source, Seth Lugo has a slight UCL tear in elbow. No surgery needed. Received PRP injection and he will rest.
— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) April 4, 2017

Lugo was battling it out for a spot in the Mets rotation in Spring Training. He, along with Robert Gsellman and Zack Wheeler, was playing for the fifth spot in the rotation. With Lugo now sidelined, and Steven Matz dealing with a tender elbow, both Wheeler and Gsellman will be in the starting rotation to begin the season.

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Lugo participated in the World Baseball Classic this spring, representing Puerto Rico. There has not been any indication that is where he got injured, but some fans will undoubtedly be upset that he cannot help the Mets now after participating in the event.

Having a UCL tear of any severity will be cause for concern. But, there are players that have been able to play, and perform well, with the slight tear without getting surgery.

Take a look at the rival New York Yankees for example. Their ace, Masahiro Tanaka, has a UCL problem as well. He rehabbed without getting surgery and has avoided any problems that would cause an extended absence. The Mets can only hope that Lugo has the same luck and will not have to undergo Tommy John surgery.

If Lugo ultimately has to, there will be more questions raised about the Mets training staff. They are notoriously poor, and Lugo would add to an already extensive list of Tommy John surgery patients.

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The Mets already have multiple players who have undergone the procedure, as Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Josh Edgin, Harvey, and Matz have all gone under the knife. That is a high number of players that have had to undergo Tommy John surgery