Rays right-hander Nick Anderson underwent a UCL brace procedure on his right elbow, according to Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Anderson will miss the majority of the 2022 season recovering from the surgery, as he isn’t expected back until after the All-Star break.
Elbow problems already cost Anderson virtually all of the 2021 campaign, as he suffered a partial ligament tear during Spring Training last March and then didn’t pitch until September, eventually tossing only six innings. Anderson also missed about two weeks of the 2020 season due to forearm inflammation, but didn’t seem any worse for wear, allowing only one earned run in seven regular-season innings after returning from the 10-day injured list.
It is fair to wonder, however, whether Anderson’s heavy usage in the 2020 postseason led to his current issues. Anderson pitched 14 2/3 innings over 10 playoff games and lacked much of his effectiveness from the regular season, delivering only a 5.52 ERA after allowing runs in eight of those appearances.
Anderson is already 31 years old and didn’t make his MLB debut until he was 28, but he achieved definite late-bloomer status with his big strikeout numbers out of the Marlins and Rays bullpens. Anderson posted a stunning 42.2% strikeout rate over his first 81 1/3 Major League innings, complementing all those missed bats with some strong control (6.5% walk rate). Tampa Bay acquired Anderson from Miami at the 2019 trade deadline, and quickly made the righty a featured member of their ever-shifting relief corps.
Unfortunately for Anderson, his abbreviated 2021 season came just before he became eligible for salary arbitration, so he is projected for a modest $900K salary in his first trip through the arb process. Given how the Rays operate within such a tight budget, it now seems possible that they could potentially non-tender Anderson, if the team has any doubts about how he might recover from this latest setback. Or, the Rays might just figure that $900K could be better allocated towards a player who could help them for the entire season, rather than just the last two-plus months.
A complete waste of 2021. Rehab was never going to work.
I’ve never understood why people feel like rehabbing a torn UCL is an acceptable route. Yeah, surgery sucks, but I’d rather be out 12-15 months with surgery rather than 18-21 with rehab and then the surgery.
For every one that rehab works for, like Tanaka, there are at least 10 that eventually get surgery anyway.
It didn’t work for him either though since he was never as good as he was before the injury.
Thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.
already a bad trend building with this guy…
One goes down, two come back. Won’t Beeks, Chirinos, and more be ready when baseball starts next year?
Chirinos got reinjured as well. I think he’s expected to be ready in May.
They’re getting a few guys back (Drake, Johnson, Roe, Poche, Thompson, Reed, Springs)…none is as good as Anderson was in 2020, though. Big setback, for the team and the player. I hope he can come back strong.
Most of those guys probably are getting nontendered. Thompson is the only definite keeper IMO. Poche is likely since his arb numbers should be very low and he has options left. Same with Beeks, who at least can start. The rest of them are later into arb or out of options.
Well…the Rays blow out another arm! Just par for their organization
Yep, it’s just the Rays…oh, wait…no, it’s not just them.
Nick Anderson’s highest inning total in a ML season is 65 innings. That’s absolutely nothing.
He’s a reliever. 65 IP is a relatively high number.
That’s not an outrageous workload. Most quality relievers are tossing the same for multiple years. He’s done that 1x
I guess I’m not sure what you were trying to say about 65 IP being absolutely nothing.
45 relievers threw 65 or more innings in 2021 per fangraphs.
I’m sure Tampa Bay will help him recoup the lost arbitration and free agency earnings this player left on the table by being used aggressively and arguably recklessly, in pursuit of a championship.
At some point, arb and especially pre arb arms should simply refuse aggressively non traditional usage patterns without some degree of financial security.
As a start, hike the MLB minimum salary to $1M or more.
$900k isn’t, “some degree of financial security”?
Yes, Tyler Matzek and AJ Minter should just eschew pitching right now.
I think the Rays will pay the 900K. if anything this makes it more likely he’s on the 2023 roster since he’ll only have half a season’s worth of production. That’ll limit his earning power.
This is starting to look like a terrible trade for the Rays. Jesus Sanchez made some tremendous progress this season and is turning into a serious bat for the Marlins.