Another injury-plagued season has come to an end for Jarred Cosart. The Padres right-hander underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery early this week and will be sidelined for the remainder of 2017, manager Andy Green said. The cleanup procedure is the second Cosart has had since the end of last season.
Cosart is expected to be ready for the start of 2018, though he could be a non-tender candidate this winter. The 27-year-old will be eligible for salary arbitration, and his Padres tenure has been marred by inconsistency and multiple stints on the disabled list.
Acquired from Miami last July, Cosart posted a 6.03 ERA in nine starts before going down with elbow inflammation in September. On Oct. 19, he had a bone spur in the elbow surgically removed.
Cosart, who also dealt with blisters in 2016, opened this season in the bullpen, moved to the rotation when Trevor Cahill went on the disabled list and re-encountered the injury bug himself. He exited an April 18 start with a strained hamstring. After a month, he returned to make four more starts before an elbow strain landed him on the shelf.
Green did not provide further details on Cosart's latest operation.
In seven 2017 appearances, including six starts, Cosart logged a 4.88 ERA and more walks than strikeouts. If the Padres trade a starter before August, options to join the rotation include Triple-A El Paso's Michael Kelly and Dillon Overton. Rookie Miguel Diaz, who is on the DL because of a forearm strain, is playing long toss but has not yet thrown off a mound.
