Phillies: Seranthony Dominguez Could Require Tommy John Surgery
The Phillies may soon lose RHP Seranthony Dominguez to Tommy John surgery; he has not appeared in a regular season game since early June 2019.
Philadelphia Phillies right-handed reliever Seranthony Dominguez has not appeared in a Major League regular season game since early June 2019 due to a UCL tear, limited to just limited to 24 2/3 innings that season. This spring, his recovery appeared to be going well, as he appeared in two games and struck out two batters over two innings.
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Yet, the right-hander suffered a setback, experiencing elbow tightness during his second Grapefruit League appearance of 2020.
And, while the Phillies have previously determined that the 25-year-old did not require Tommy John surgery after he hurt his right elbow last year, that could all change as Dominguez underwent an MRI on Thursday.
Similar to southpaw Chris Sale, who The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal recently reported will undergo the reconstructive elbow surgery, Dominguez was seen last year by Dr. James Andrews. For both, Dr. Andrews recommended a platelet-rich plasma injection and rest for their damaged UCLs, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber notes.
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The writing could be on the wall for Dominguez, whose rehabilitation appears to not be going any better than the Boston Red Sox pitcher’s. The Red Sox still owe Sale nearly $150 million through 2024. Dominguez is not owed nearly as much, however the Phillies were relying on him to return and be a strong back-end presence in their bullpen.
Thus far through two seasons and 80 appearances in red pinstripes, Dominguez has gone 5-5 with a 3.27 ERA, 103-34 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.089 WHIP spanning 82 2/3 innings. As a rookie in 2018, he saved 16 games out of 20 opportunities.
Now, without David Robertson and potentially Dominguez for most of two straight seasons, the Phillies will have to look elsewhere for back-end bullpen help.
An update on Dominguez is expected from the team’s medical staff sometime on Friday.