Mets right-hander Jeremy Hefner appears headed for a second Tommy John surgery

Jeremy Hefner made 22 starts for the Mets last season prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery and now he has suffered a significant setback in his recovery.

Hefner, who had Tommy John surgery last August, felt soreness in his surgically-repaired right elbow during a minor league rehab start last Wednesday. According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, Mets assistant general manager John Ricco said after today’s game that Hefner reinjured the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow and also suffered a stress fracture of his ulna bone. The expectation is that he will need another Tommy John surgery.

Here’s what Hefner wrote on his Facebook page:

“Although this injury is extremely uncommon, it does happen. There aren’t many case studies on it, but it does require me to have T.J. surgery again. Yes, that means starting completely over. I’m not sure what my course of action is. Should have a clearer picture in the coming days. I’m disappointed, but not shaken. I have a lot of things to be thankful for, and I’ll rest in that.”

Just devastating. Tommy John surgery continues to have a high success rate, but when it comes to throwing a baseball, nothing is a guarantee. Here’s the latest example.

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