Yankees starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi likely won't be throwing another pitch in the majors until 2018.
Eovaldi announced Tuesday that he's undergoing Tommy John surgery for the second time. The first time was in high school due to two partial tears in his UCL at age 17.
This time, Eovaldi said he completely tore his flexor tendon off the bone and partially tore the UCL. He said the flexor tendon injury would have been a 3-6 month recovery, but because this is the second UCL surgery, that will likely take 14-18 months.
"It's a huge blow," he said. "It's my second one so it's a big deal. Hopefully everything goes well with the surgery and I'll work hard to get back."
Manager Joe Girardi said before the announcement that rookie right-hander Luis Cessa will join the rotation and start Saturday in Anaheim against the Angels.
