Promising Padres starter Dinelson Lamet to miss season following Tommy John surgery

Lamet won't be able to return this year after all

By R.J. Anderson

Apr 13, 2018 at 7:44 pm ET • 1 min read

Here's some unfortunate news with which to put a bow on the work week: San Diego Padres right-hander Dinelson Lamet will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the season.

Dinelson Lamet will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery after an MRI revealed ligament damage in his elbow. He initially wanted to try rehab. He and Padres this morning decided on surgery instead.
— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) April 13, 2018

Lamet first experienced elbow pain during his final spring outing. Initially, the Padres did not believe he had anything wrong structurally. He had resumed throwing before the pain forced further examination.

Lamet, 25, started 21 games last season for the Padres. He managed a 4.57 ERA (91 ERA+) while showing a promising fastball-slider combination. The belief among evaluators is he needs to improve his command and changeup in order to ensure a long-term place in the rotation.

Unfortunately, Lamet won't get to work on those facets of his game until 2019.