Indians starting pitcher Cody Anderson was diagnosed with a mild strain of a ligament in his right elbow after experiencing some discomfort last week.
The Indians are seeking a second opinion about Anderson’s ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) before deciding on his rehab program and expected timetable for a return to throwing.
“He was going to be down from throwing for a little bit anyway, so there’s no immediate rush, but for his sake you’d like to get it looked at again,” Indians manager Terry Francona told reporters in Goodyear, Ariz.
Anderson was working his way back from an arthroscopic debridement procedure that he underwent in November after being diagnosed with an impingement in the back of the joint in his elbow. The club’s hope and current belief is that he can avoid a second procedure.
“As of right now, the idea is he doesn’t need surgery,” Francona said. “But I also think it’s a really good thing to always get a second opinion. It’s not going to hurt anything. The more information, the better. The more sets of good eyes, the better. Then whatever the doctors conclude, we’ll follow that and get him going.”
Anderson was in line to begin the season in the Triple-A starting rotation and provide some organizational depth should the Indians run into a similar problem as they did in 2016, when injuries tore through the pitching staff late in the year. He’s appeared as a starter and as a reliever in the big leagues, though the Indians have maintained that his long-term development is still focused on remaining a starting pitcher.
Teams know they likely won’t get through the season only needing five starters, which puts additional value on the sixth, seventh and eighth options in the line of succession. Once healthy, Anderson had figured to join Mike Clevinger, assuming he also remains a starter and isn’t used out of the major-league bullpen, and Ryan Merritt to form the top of the Triple-A rotation.
Anderson has a career 9-8 record and 4.50 ERA with 98 strikeouts in 152 innings pitched at the major-league level.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ.