Here’s some bad -- but not unexpected -- news.
According to MLB.com beat reporter Ken Gurnick, Dodgers right-hander Brandon McCarthy -- who was diagnosed Monday with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow -- is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery on Thursday in Los Angeles. The procedure comes with a 12-15 month recovery timetable, so McCarthy probably won’t be back in the majors until next June or July.
McCarthy signed a four-year, $48 million free agent contract with Los Angeles this past offseason after posting a 4.05 ERA, 1.275 WHIP, and 175/33 K/BB ratio across 200 innings last season for the Diamondbacks and Brewers. The 31-year-old had a 5.87 ERA, 1.217 WHIP, and 29/4 K/BB ratio through 23 innings (four starts) this season with the Dodgers.
McCarthy, a smart, funny dude and one of the few athletes worth following on Twitter, told Pedro Moura of the Orange County Register on Wednesday that he is “taking suggestions for hobbies.”
