Things haven't gone very well for the Miami Marlins to open the 2024 MLB campaign, as they have lost each of their first seven games, while also getting dealt some big injuries along the way. They received another crushing blow on Thursday, as their young star pitcher Eury Perez, who was unable to start the season due to a right elbow injury, will now be undergoing Tommy John surgery, ending his season before it even began.
Via Craig Mish:
“Marlins announce Pitcher Eury Perez will undergo Tommy John Surgery, and miss the remainder of the 2024 season.”
Perez is one of the brightest pitching prospects in the majors, and he successfully broke in with the Marlins in 2023, putting up some strong numbers along the way (5-6, 3.15 ERA, 108 K, 1.13 WHIP). Miami was expecting Perez to be a big piece of their rotation, especially since Sandy Alcanatara is expected to miss the entire 2024 campaign himself after undergoing Tommy John surgery in October.
Unfortunately, Perez experienced elbow discomfort during Spring Training, and was promptly placed on the injured list before the regular season got underway. Now, he won't be pitching at all in 2024, and the hope is that he will be ready to go for 2025, where he can form a three-headed monster atop the starting rotation with Alcantara and Jesus Luzardo.
What led to Marlins deciding to have Eury Perez get Tommy John surgery?
Perez seemed to be making progress towards a return to action, as he was ramping up his activity in hopes of rejoining his squad in the majors shortly. After a bullpen session on Tuesday, though, Perez felt tightness in his elbow, and further testing revealed that he needed to undergo surgery in order to clean up his elbow.
Via Craig Mish:
“Perez threw a bullpen session on Tuesday in Miami and felt elbow tightness. He also experienced a drop in velocity. His surgery will be Monday with Dr. Meister in Dallas and will be the same procedure as former NL Cy Young award winner and teammate Sandy Alcantara.”
The Marlins tried to find a way around Perez having to undergo season-ending surgery, but with Miami not expected to be a playoff contender this year, and Perez still being only 20 years old, there was no sense pushing the envelope in hopes of having him pitch this year. The important thing is keeping the prized pitcher as healthy as possible, and this is the best path forward in order to accomplish that goal.
This is a crushing update for both Perez and the Marlins, but if he can return and be a consistent presence in their starting rotation for years to come, it will all be worth it. With Perez now done for the year, though, it doesn't look like things are going to be getting better for Miami anytime soon, and it could make for a very long summer in southern Florida if things keep going downhill at this rate.
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