A lackluster season for the Los Angeles Angels just became even more pessimistic.
On Monday, left-handed pitcher Patrick Sandoval told reporters that he will be undergoing Tommy John surgery after suffering both a torn UCL and high-grade flexor tear.
Multiple reports indicated that Sandoval will be out at least a year, with the earliest return likely the middle of the 2025 season.
Sandoval may not return until 2026.
In 16 starts this year, Sandoval posted a 5.08 ERA, striking out 81 and walking 35 in 79.2 innings.
Sandoval was particularly harmed by free passes: his four walks per nine innings ranked as the fourth-highest among MLB starters to make at least 15 starts this year.
The 27-year-old last pitched on June 21, lasting just 2.1 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers before being removed from the game.
The southpaw was placed on the 15-day injured list on Saturday but will miss considerably more time.
Sandoval was sharp in 2022, posting a 2.91 ERA and 3.09 fielding independent pitching across 27 starts.
However, his 2023 didn’t follow suit, ending with a 4.11 ERA while averaging a career-high 4.6 walks per nine innings.
Sandoval and his durability had proven a rock in the Angels’ rotation, with his 44 starts across 2023-24 tied for 11th among American League hurlers.
The lefty’s 1.2 Fangraphs wins above replacement (WAR) were tied for the most on the Angels.
In its first year without Shohei Ohtani — and with Mike Trout shelved since April 29 with a torn meniscus — Los Angeles has gone just 30-46, the third-worst record in the AL.
Sans Sandoval, the Angels will have to rely on Tyler Anderson and Griffin Canning to carry their rotation for the short- and long-term future.
In the broader baseball landscape, Sandoval is the latest pitcher to need elbow surgery.
Other notable pitchers to go under the knife in recent memory include the Braves’ Spencer Strider, the Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara and the Rays’ Shane McClanahan.
