The Arizona Diamondbacks announced some brutal news about Corbin Burnes on Friday.
Arizona manager Torey Lovullo shared that Burnes will be undergoing Tommy John surgery. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
Burnes had exited his start on Sunday against the Nationals after experiencing pain in his elbow during the fifth inning. Burnes was furious over the situation, which seemed to suggest he knew the injury was serious. Even though initial reports suggested that Burnes might have avoided a serious injury, the pitcher knew otherwise and was proven correct.
Unfortunately for both Burnes and the Diamondbacks, he’ll be out for extended time, as Tommy John surgeries typically takes between 12-18 months. Burnes might not return until the end of next season on the early side.
This is a brutal way for Burnes to begin his Diamondbacks tenure. He signed a 6-year, $210 million contract with the team over the offseason, and now one third of the length of the contract seems like it will be marred.
The 30-year-old ace had gone 3-2 with a 2.66 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 64.1 innings this season. He was likely to make his fifth straight All-Star team. This injury will also end Burnes’ streak of five straight seasons where he had finished in at least the top 8 for Cy Young Award voting. He won the award in 2021 thanks to an excellent season he had with the Brewers where he went 11-5 with a 2.43 ERA.
