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Jonathan Broxton had surgery to repair a torn flexor mass in his right forearm on Friday, the Reds announced. Dr. Tim Kremchek performed the procedure. The righty reliever is expected to miss six months.
Broxton, 29, left Wednesday night's game with the trainer after feeling a sharp pain in his forearm. The team placed him on the 15-day DL on Thursday. Broxton missed close to two months with a similar injury earlier this season and had been activated off the DL on August 9.
In 34 games between injuries, Broxton has a 4.11 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 30 2/3 innings. The Reds signed him to a three-year, $21 million contract this past winter with the idea of making him their closer and transitioning Aroldis Chapman to the rotation. Broxton moved into a setup role when Chapman remained the closer.
Left-hander Sean Marshall has been out since May with shoulder trouble, so the setup onus will fall on J.J. Hoover and Sam LeCure, primarily. The Reds could also look for another reliever in a waiver trade, but the player must be acquired before August 31 to be eligible for the postseason roster.
Given the timetable, it's questionable whether Broxton will be 100 percent healthy in time for the start of spring training next year.
