Jose Fernandez injury: Tommy John recommended for Marlins’ ace

UPDATE: Jose Fernandez has a right elbow sprain and is heading back to Miami for further evaluation, according to Marlins manager Mike Redmond (via Eric Stephen of True Blue LA). Fernandez has officially been placed on the 15-day disabled list. Dan Jennings has been called up to fill Fernandez’s spot on the roster. Redmond said Wednesday’s starter has not been decided, but Kevin Slowey and Brad Hand are options.

According to Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel, Fernandez might even be headed for season-ending elbow surgery, which would end his 2014 campaign. CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reports that Dr. Neil ElAttrache recommended the procedure after discovering a tear in Fernandez’s elbow, which led to the desire for a second opinion. Considering that Fernandez has been shelved with an elbow strain, this news isn’t terribly surprising, though it would obviously be a huge loss for the Marlins.

We haven’t had enough reminders in 2014 that no young pitcher is safe from injury, so the baseball gods saw fit to set their sights on Marlins’ ace Jose Fernandez. While we don’t yet know the full nature of his malady, he is undergoing an MRI in Los Angeles according to the Miami Herald’s Clark Spencer, and is expected to be placed on the disabled list, per Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.

Fernandez struggled in his most recent start against the Padres, in which he allowed six runs -- five earned -- in just five innings to the current weakest-hitting team in the game. Fernandez was sick enough to be throwing up before that start following his pre-game steak dinner, and that was believed to be the cause of his poor outing.

Now with the news of his MRI and stint on the DL, the focus has obviously shifted away from a poorly prepared steak and toward much more serious matters. It’s never good to speculate, but elbow sprains often lead to Tommy John Surgery. Here’s hoping the young ace can avoid the Tommy John Bug of 2014.