Tommy John’s surgery is scheduled for Marlins RHP Eury Perez.
After Perez saw Dr. Keith Meister for the second time in around two weeks, a choice was made. On Monday, he will have surgery on his right elbow.
“I am aware of Eury’s extreme frustration,” stated Peter Bendix, head of baseball operations for the Marlins. “He’s really disappointed, but he also understands that this is a minor setback in what’s going to be a really long career.”
When Perez was first diagnosed, his elbow inflammation was considered minimal, and surgery was not advised. Soon after receiving that diagnosis, he started playing catch until elbow pain forced him to see Meister again.
Bendix remarked, “It’s been kind of a roller coaster.” “First, being frustrated by your elbow pain, and then, having the good news that you don’t require surgery at this time. It was understood that the ligament was not in the best of shape, and that you can basically pitch with it until it becomes unusable, and no one can predict when that will happen. You need to see when the symptoms come back. Regretfully, that has now occurred. This is preferable to the middle of the season.”
Turning 21 on April 15, Perez made his main league debut in 2023 and went 5-6 in 19 starts with a 3.15 ERA. In 91⅓ innings, he struck out 108 batters and walked 31 until left SI joint inflammation ended his season.
With Perez’s injury, the Marlins’ already thin rotation gets much thinner.
Their star, Sandy Alcantara, had Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow in October, but he’s still out for the season. With a right shoulder impingement, right-hander Edward Cabrera is on the injured list; however, on March 31, he started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Jacksonville. A left shoulder impingement has also kept left-hander Braxton Garrett out of the game.
After making the playoffs the previous season, Miami is off to the worst start to a season in team history as they begin the 2024 campaign on a seven-game winless run.