St. Petersburg, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Alex Cobb confirmed the worst-case scenario regarding the Tampa Bay Rays hurler's injured elbow, telling reporters Friday that he will undergo surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Cobb will undergo the Tommy John procedure on Thursday. Renowned sports surgeon Dr. James Andrews will perform the operation.
Cobb has been sidelined since spring training with what the Rays initially termed as tendinitis in his forearm. A recent follow-up exam revealed that the emerging ace had a partial tear in his UCL, for which he received a platelet- rich plasma injection from Andrews.
However, Cobb found out on Thursday that the ligament was fully torn to necessitate the surgery.
Cobb will be the second key member of the Rays' rotation to undergo Tommy John surgery in the last 13 months. Left-hander Matt Moore had the procedure in April of 2014 and is expected to return around midseason.
A double-digit winner for the Rays in each of the previous three seasons, Cobb followed up a breakthrough 2013 campaign by going 10-9 with a 2.87 earned run average in 27 starts last year. The 27-year-old posted an 11-3 record with a 2.76 ERA over 22 starts in 2013.
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