Sources: Bryce Montes De Oca Underwent Tommy John Surgery

Bryce Montes de Oca has undergone Tommy John surgery, according to MMO’s very own Michael Mayer.

As a result, the righty will now miss the entire 2023 season and longer as he begins his long road to recovery. It is a big blow for both de Oca and the Mets. The Mets announced the following:

Yesterday, Bryce Montes de Oca underwent surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow. During the procedure, it was determined that his UCL was insufficient and needed to be revised as well.

There were concerns a few weeks ago when de Oca had to be removed from an outing after displaying command issues and a dip in velocity. The 26-year-old was sent for further tests and imaging as a precaution.

While the MRI showed no ligament damage, with the Mets hoping de Oca would miss only a few weeks of the 2023 season with a stress reaction in his elbow, that thinking proved to be far too optimistic. Per Russell Dorsey of Bally Sports on Wednesday, de Oca was set to undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove bone fragments from his throwing elbow. The recovery length was set at four months.

However, the reality is far grimmer. Per Mayer, the worst-case scenario has taken place instead, and de Oca actually needed Tommy John surgery. That rules the right-handed relief pitcher out for the entire 2023 season, and he could miss time in 2024 too as he continues his recovery. This is the second TJS for Montes de Oca with the first coming back in 2013 when he was in High School.

It is a crushing blow for de Oca who was hoping to win a spot in the bullpen for the 2023 season. In his first two outings of spring training, he threw two scoreless innings and consistently clocked 100 mph with above-average movement on his pitches. He boasts a three-pitch arsenal consisting of a cutter, sinker and slider. De Oca racked up an impressive 33.8% strikeout rate with a 3.33 ERA and 80 strikeouts between Triple-A and Double-A in 2022.

Unfortunately, de Oca’s career has been blighted by a series of injuries. He has previously undergone knee, shoulder and back surgeries, which kept him on the shelf for a considerable amount of time. Sadly, de Oca has now suffered the biggest injury of his career and the road back will be a long one.

This isn’t the news the Mets would have wanted as they get set for Opening Day 2023, and it continues what has been a spring laced with injuries. The Mets likely lost superstar closer Edwin Díaz for the season after he went down with a freak injury while celebrating at the World Baseball Classic. If that wasn’t enough, pitchers Sam Coonrod and José Quintana both went down with injuries that will keep them out of action for a while. Outfielder Brandon Nimmo and LHP Brooks Raley also suffered injuries during spring training, but both will be on the Opening Day roster.

The post Sources: Bryce Montes De Oca Underwent Tommy John Surgery first appeared on Metsmerized Online.