CHICAGO — Pirates reliever Edgar Santana will undergo Tommy John surgery to reconstruct the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow and is expected to miss the entire 2019 season, Todd Tomcyzk, the team's director of sports medicine, told reporters Wednesday at Wrigley Field.
Santana, a 26-year-old right-hander, is the second Pirates pitcher to require the surgery this month, joining starter Chad Kuhl, who underwent the procedure last week and will also be out next season. Santana was removed from his last outing Sept. 21 because of right forearm/elbow tightness and was examined Wednesday by Dr. James Andrews, who confirmed the diagnosis made by Dr. Patrick DeMeo.
Santana did not pitch for six days between Aug. 29 and Sept. 5 after reporting similar symptoms, however, he then continued to pitch with the Pirates out of the playoff chase. He's expected to undergo the procedure soon and a timeline for return will be established afterwards.
"Well, he took six days off there, and he met what we thought and what we knew: He could go out and compete," Tomczyk said. "That was he threw a competitive bullpen, he threw very intensely to batters and it was a gradual buildup back to game activity."
Santana pitched seven more times after reporting those initial symptoms to the Pirates before his season ended. He allowed four earned runs without recording an out last Friday against the Brewers. As a result, Clint Hurdle will not have one of his most effective relievers next season.
Santana had a 3.26 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 54 strikeouts to 12 walks in 66 1/3 innings this season. That's the most he's pitched since 2015, when he threw 79 2/3 innings between High-A Bradenton, Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis. However, this was his first season being given a high volume of high-leverage innings.
Forty-nine of his 69 appearances were in the seventh inning or later, and those 69 appearances are the fifth-most in a single season by a Pirates rookie. He was also tasked with 10 multi-inning appearances, in which he posted a 0.53 ERA. Santana held lefties to a .214 opponents' batting average.
Keone Kela, a right-handed reliever acquired at the non-waiver trade deadline, was shutdown following his outing Sept. 3 in Atlanta. In a statement released through the team, Neal Huntington cited Santana's high-leverage innings as the reason behind the decision. Kela, 25, threw 52 innings, his most since a career-high 60 1/3 in 2015, but this was his first season as a closer. He posted 24 saves with the Rangers prior to the trade and pitched 14 times in August. He's arbitration-eligible this offseason and under contract through 2020.
When asked of the bullpen's workload in Milwaukee nearly two weeks ago, Hurdle said Santana's was in a "good place" and mentioned how his appearances rank among the franchise's rookies all-time. Now, the Pirates will enter next season without those innings and production.
In addition to Kela, Felipe Vazquez, Kyle Crick and Richard Rodriguez are all expected to return. Vazquez has 36 saves, Crick has flourished since arriving in April and Rodriguez's 87 strikeouts are a single-season club rookie record. The injury is a blow to the club's depth, though. Middle relief has been one of their glaring weaknesses, as displayed since rosters expanded September 1.
Michael Feliz, Dovydas Neverauskas, Steven Brault, Nick Kingham and Nick Burdi are among the internal options, though Huntington told reporters Sunday he will explore external options to supplement the group in 2019.
"It's really an acute episode," Tomczyk said when asked of Santana. "He never, other than the three weeks late in August, reported any symptoms in that forearm/elbow region. He's had a relatively clean bill of health up until this year."
• Kuhl and outfielder Gregory Polanco have both started their physical therapy after undergoing surgery in recent weeks. Kuhl returned to his home in Delaware and is scheduled for a one-week post-op appointment Thursday with Dr. David Altchek. Polanco reported to Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla., and was assessed by a physical therapist. Polanco's rehab will take place in Bradenton and Miami over the next eight weeks, until his next appointment with Altchek.
• Starting pitcher Joe Musgrove, who was shutdown for the remainder of the season because of an abdominal wall strain, will be reassessed after six weeks of rest. Dr. George Eid of Allegheny Health Network will then determine whether surgery is necessary, though Tomczyk said the Pirates are "optimistic."
• Third baseman Jung Ho Kang played nine innings in the fall instructional league Wednesday and is expected to play Thursday. Tomczyk added that Kang is physically capable of playing in the majors now, though he noted that is a "baseball decision."