The diagnosis has been confirmed, and so Michael Fulmer's 2019 season is officially over before it starts.
MLB.com reporter Jason Beck reports that the Detroit Tigers right-handed pitcher said Wednesday that he will indeed have Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, effectively rendering him out for the year.
Beck reports that Fulmer said he had an MRI on his elbow on Monday after his latest bullpen session, in which he felt some discomfort.
On Tuesday, the Tigers announced that Fulmer had been told by renowned sports surgeon Dr. James Andrews that he needed ulnar reconstruction surgery, named after the former MLB pitcher in the 1970s who experienced success on the mound afterward.
Fulmer had been taken out of the spring pitching rotation last week as a way to figure out why he had experienced a dip in velocity. Last September, Fulmer had knee surgery and entered spring training pitching with a brace on his right knee. But since then, Fulmer took the brace off while pitching and mentioned some improvement.
Fulmer, 26, went just 3-12 with a 4.69 ERA in 24 starts last season before the knee injury. His 2017 season was cut short with right elbow ulnar nerve transposition surgery. Last season, he underwent his third right knee meniscus surgery, which was believed to be the root cause of his declined fastball velocity this spring.
