Cleveland Guardians ace Triston McKenzie faces a tough outlook after sustaining a UCL injury.
On Tuesday morning, Mandy Bell, the Guardians’ reporter for MLB.com, tweeted that McKenzie underwent an examination. Then, “he was diagnosed with a sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament. He’s being shut down from throwing for at least several weeks. McKenzie guessed it’d probably be 4-6 weeks. They’ll continue to evaluate him regularly,” Bell tweeted.
Triston McKenzie was examined this morning. He was diagnosed with a sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament. He’s being shut down from throwing for at least several weeks. McKenzie guessed it’d probably be 4-6 weeks. They’ll continue to evaluate him regularly.
— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) June 20, 2023
It’s been a tough season for McKenzie. He’s only registered two starts due to nagging injuries, which have obviously ballooned into something worse. McKenzie recorded a 4.50 ERA in his two starts, an 0-1 record, just 10.0 innings, with 15 strikeouts and four walks.
Last season, despite sporting an 11-11 record, McKenzie recorded an ERA of 2.96 through 191.1 innings with 190 strikeouts. He pitched like a top-form starter, as many have hoped he would be after his stirring rookie start. But it doesn’t seem to be in the cards in 2023.
UCL injuries obviously have one worst-case scenario: Tommy John surgery. A procedure would shut McKenzie down for significant time that would likely extend through 2024. So, you hope for the best and that McKenzie will be able to avoid TJS. It’s just become so commonplace that it feels like it’s looming.
Nevertheless, the MLB world reacted to the brutal outlook that McKenzie will now face after discovering the UCL injury.
