Brandon McCarthy will have Tommy John surgery on Thursday, which means the L.A. Dodgers will be without their starting pitcher until at least the 2016 All-Star Break, according to MLB.com.
McCarthy, 31, appeared to have resurrected his career after he finished the second half of the 2015 season with the New York Yankees. The righty had a 2.89 ERA in 14 starts after a poor start with the Diamondbacks, where he had a 5.01 ERA and 10 losses.
Because of his success with the Yankees, he signed a four-year, $48 million contract with the Dodgers during the offseason. He had a 3-0 record, but was lucky with receiving run-support when he took the mound as he managed that record with a 5.87 ERA in 23 innings.
Veteran Scott Baker will likely be the temporary replacement in the rotation. The 33-year-old has a 1.06 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 17 innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City. He had a spot-start earlier in the season and gave up three runs in seven innings for the loss. Hyun-Jin Ryu has been on the DL since the start of the season with a shoulder impingement and there is still no timetable for his return.
McCarthy is still in good spirits about the whole situation.
to be fair, 31 years of use is a lot to ask for from a ligament
— Brandon McCarthy (@BMcCarthy32) April 27, 2015