Duke Welker has been on the disabled list in Indianapolis since May 5th, and today he had this tweet:
https://twitter.com/The5thWelker/status/474562168525185024
James Andrews. New elbow. I haven’t received word that Welker was having Tommy John, but that appears to be the case. Welker will be the third Pirates pitching prospect undergoing Tommy John surgery this season, following Jameson Taillon and Clay Holmes.
This also continues the trend of hard throwers having Tommy John surgery. Welker barely pitched last year in the majors, but in his very brief time he had the 8th highest average velocity in the majors. His 97 MPH average is normal when he’s healthy. This year has seen a lot of hard throwers going down with elbow injuries, which has in turn raised questions about the value and risk of hard throwers.
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
Tim, if it is TJS and he goes on the 60-day DL, then do the Bucs have to still carry him on the 40-man for the next Rule 5 draft?
He’s in the minors, so he wouldn’t have to go on the 60-day DL.
As for carrying him next year, it depends. He’s out of options after this year, so he’d have to be in the majors. They could carry him, then place him on the 60-day DL. But then he’d have to be in the majors. It’s more likely that they take the Kyle McPherson approach, where they non-tender him and make him a free agent, then try to re-sign him to a minor league deal. This would allow him to rehab, and would allow them to send him to Triple-A when his rehab is done.
Could be a flexor tendon repair.