Earlier on Tuesday, Rockies starter Jorge de la Rosa was lifted from a game against the Diamondbacks in the third inning with what was initially being termed "elbow soreness." Labeling it as soreness told us nothing about what was actually wrong, but de la Rosa underwent further examination, and now we have the ugly, ugly results:
Jorge De La Rosa Has Complete Ligament Tear In Elbow; Will Have Tommy John Surgery
Rockies LHP Jorge De La Rosa suffered a complete tear of his ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow. The next step is being discussed.
A complete tear. Not a minor tear. Not a partial tear. Not a most-of-the-way tear. A complete tear of the UCL. That’s as bad as it gets for an elbow, and though the Rockies and de la Rosa are going to mull over their options, one figures the most likely outcome here is that de la Rosa will need to undergo Tommy John surgery.*
This is a significant blow to a Rockies team that has fallen behind the Giants in the standings after a hot start. Jorge de la Rosa - who had signed a two-year contract over the offseason - was being counted on to be one of the team's best starters, but with de la Rosa now badly hurt and Ubaldo Jimenez struggling, the Rockies find themselves in a tough spot. Greg Reynolds or Aaron Cook could take de la Rosa's place in the rotation, but neither offers the same talent or upside.
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Update: de la Rosa will indeed undergo ligament replacement surgery. He will miss the rest of the 2011 season, and at least the beginning of 2012.
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