UPDATE: Ned Yost just spoke to the media and now all of the uncertainty seems gone. Yost says Holland has “a significant” UCL tear, which almost certainly means he’s headed for Tommy John surgery.
This will cause him to miss all of 2016 in all likelihood. And may cause the Royals to non-tender the arbitration-eligible Holland after this season. It’s the worst possible news at the worst possible time for all involved.
4:28 PM: He already lost his velocity and his job as closer, and there were already serious concerns about whether or not he’d pitch again to begin with. But now it’s official: Royals reliever Greg Holland has been shut down for the year.
Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star reported that and further reports that Holland will have his right elbow examined by a Dr. Neal ElAttrache next week in Los Angeles. ElAttrache is not as famous as Dr. Andrews, but he has previously treated Zack Greinke, Kobe Bryant and many, many other athletes. And, yes, he could potentially diagnose a torn ligament requiring Tommy John surgery, which would out Holland on the shelf for all of 2016.
The Royals still have a strong bullpen and can weather the loss of their closer better than a lot of teams can, but this is still awful news for them. And for Holland.