Rays' Hellickson has surgery, out first 6-to-8 weeks of season

St. Petersburg, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Jeremy Hellickson is expected to miss the first 6-to-8 weeks of the season after undergoing minor arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow last week.

Hellickson said he felt discomfort during his offseason throwing program.

The right-hander is coming off a subpar 2013 campaign in which he went 12-10 with a 5.17 earned run average. His ERA over the previous two seasons was 3.02 in 60 starts.

Hellickson, the 2011 American League Rookie of the Year, is 39-31 with a 3.70 ERA in 95 career starts and seven relief appearances.