Seattle Mariners left-hander and 2021 AL Cy Young winner Robbie Ray underwent season-ending surgery to repair his flexor tendon and the ulnar collateral ligament (i.e. Tommy John surgery) in his pitching elbow, the team announced Wednesday. The typical Tommy John surgery rehab timetable is 14-16 months, so Ray will likely be sidelined until the middle of 2024.
Ray exited his first start of the regular season with a forearm injury and was shut down several weeks. The latest round of tests last week revealed a new flexor injury in a different part of his elbow.
The 31-year-old Ray has been one of the most durable pitchers in baseball in recent years, ranking third in starts (192) and eighth in innings (1,068 1/3) from 2016-22. He threw 91 pitches in only 3 1/3 innings in his season debut on March 31. Ray walked five and struggled badly with his control, and was placed on the injured list the next day.
Even without Ray, the Mariners have a formidable top of the rotation in Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, and George Kirby. Veterans Marco Gonzales and Chris Flexen round out the rotation for now, though top prospect Bryce Miller was called up earlier this week. He flirted with a perfect game in his MLB debut. Miller will certainly get a longer look with Ray injured.
The Mariners could look to the trade market to replace Ray, though impact trades are rarely made in May. Trade discussions are a few weeks away from really heating up. Madison Bumgarner is available for the prorated league minimum after getting released by the Arizona Diamondbacks last week. He could be a possible short-term target for the Mariners.
Seattle signed Ray to a five-year, $115 million contract last offseason. He made 32 starts and pitched to a 3.71 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 189 innings last year. That's not Cy Young-caliber but it is certainly rock solid production. Ray won the 2021 AL Cy Young with a 2.84 ERA and 248 strikeouts in 193 1/3 innings with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Mariners have an 13-16 record and plus-2 run differential in the early going.
