May 06--An Angels pitching staff already decimated by injuries has been hit with a devastating blow: Ace Garrett Richards has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and is expected to undergo ligament replacement surgery, according to a person familiar with the injury but not authorized to discuss it publicly.
The tear, according to Yahoo Sports columnist Jeff Passan, who first reported the news early Friday morning, was found on Thursday, after the Angels scratched Richards from Friday night's scheduled start because of dehydration and fatigue.
Tommy John surgery would sideline Richards, 27, one of the hardest-throwing starters in baseball and by far the club's best pitcher, for the rest of this season and at least half of the 2017 season.
The Angels have already lost three left-handed starters--Andrew Heaney (strained flexor muscle in elbow), C.J. Wilson (shoulder inflammation) and Tyler Skaggs (still recovering from Tommy John surgery) -- for large chunks of time, and struggling right-hander Matt Shoemaker was demoted to triple-A this week.
Closer Huston Street is also on the disabled list because of an oblique strain.
The Yahoo Sports report also said that Heaney has a damaged ulnar collateral ligament but that the pitcher is trying to avoid surgery. Heaney underwent a platelet-rich plasma injection earlier this week and is expected to be out until at least July.
Heaney has had two MRI exams, which, according to the Angels, showed no ligament damage.
"We consulted with multiple doctors, and the findings ranged from normal wear and tear consistent with age and usage to some degree of tear," Angels General Manager Billy Eppler said of Heaney in a text message. "We're opting for conservative care like other pitchers have done."
The loss of Richards, who is 1-3 with a 2.34 earned-run average in six starts this season, will likely make the Angels prime suitors for free-agent Tim Lincecum, the 31-year-old right-hander who is working his way back from hip surgery and will throw for scouts in Arizona on Friday.
Reliever Cory Rasmus will start in place of Richards against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night, but the Angels, who were down to a four-man rotation before the Richards injury, will likely recall Shoemaker and left-hander Nate Smith, who is 2-1 with a 3.79 ERA in six starts, from Salt Lake for their rotation.
The Angels traded their two best pitching prospects, left-hander Sean Newcomb and right-hander Chris Ellis, to Atlanta for shortstop Andrelton Simmons in November.
With a depleted farm system that is rated baseball's worst by Baseball America, it is highly unlikely the Angels will have enough prospects to acquire a front-line pitcher in a trade.
Richards, who combines a 97-mph fastball with a nasty slider and added a changeup this season, went 13-4 with a 2.61 ERA in 26 starts in 2014 before suffering a torn patellar tendon in his left knee and undergoing season-ending surgery that August.
Richards rehabilitated the knee all winter and came back to go 15-12 with a 3.65 ERA in 32 starts in 2015.
Richards was pulled from last Sunday's start in Texas after four innings and 79 pitches because of dehydration and fatigue. He did not throw his normal between-starts bullpen session but played catch on Monday and Tuesday.
"I'm still a little bit fatigued," Richards said Wednesday in Milwaukee. "My body's a little tired. I'm just trying to bounce back. Everything just doesn't feel as crisp right now."
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