Rangers righty Chi Chi Gonzalez has been dealing with additional elbow pain and will have Tommy John surgery, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets. He will miss not only the rest of 2017, but all of 2018 as a result.
It’s been an awful run of luck for Gonzalez, who was diagnosed with a partial UCL tear in Spring Training and has not pitched competitively in 2017. The plan at the time was for Gonzalez to receive a platelet-rich plasma injection and sit out for six weeks, thus avoiding Tommy John surgery. It appears, however, that that plan didn’t do the trick.
The 25-year-old Gonzalez was the 23rd overall pick in the 2013 draft out of Oral Roberts. He advanced through the Rangers’ system as a top prospect and made it to the Majors in 2015, posting a 3.90 ERA in 67 innings despite a very weak 4.0 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9. He struggled in three big-league starts in 2016, spending most of the year in the Triple-A Round Rock rotation.
I wonder if this is the end of the road for him in a Ranger’s uniform?
No… he’s not arbitration eligible unless at least 2020 and he won’t take up a spot next season on the 40 man DL. Not sure why they would get rid of him considering he was pitching really well in spring training before he hurt his elbow
60 day DL*
Ay caramba!
It’s okay, he’ll probably come back better. think of it as a chi chi enhancement.
One of the nicest guys in baseball. Hope all goes well and he comes back strong.
Really sad… Hope he comes back okay