Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jarrod Parker suffered yet another elbow injury that has left his baseball future in question.
The A’s reported Parker refractured the medial epicondyle in his right elbow, per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. The incident occurred on Parker’s 12th pitch during a simulated game Thursday, according to Rick Eymer of the Associated Press.
Parker has twice undergone Tommy John surgery and suffered another broken elbow last season.
The 27-year-old was the ninth overall pick in the 2007 draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks and after five seasons in the minors was traded to Oakland.
There, he made the big league roster immediately and compiled a 25-16 record with a 3.68 ERA, a 1.237 WHIP and 247 strikeouts over the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
But he hasn’t pitched in the majors since. He was in line to be the A’s Opening Day starter in 2014—the year they went on to become one of the best regular-season teams—but was derailed by the news he’d once again need Tommy John surgery.
Eno Sarris of FanGraphs elaborated on the extent of his latest injury, which doesn’t offer much optimism:
However, A’s athletic trainer Nick Paparesta noted the initial tests on the elbow weren’t as bad as last year.
“We’re optimistic that things go well,” Paparesta said, per Eymer. “We just want to make sure everything is right before we proceed.”
Elbow injuries have become an epidemic among major league pitchers the last decade-plus, and Parker’s continued injuries are a byproduct of the sad reality of today’s game.
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