39 Chad Kuhl SP

Kuhl underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

This is a tough break for Kuhl, who opted for surgery after suffering a setback earlier in the month. The typical recovery timeline takes around 14-to-16 months, meaning the right-hander will be sidelined through the 2019 season. Kuhl posted a 4.55 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 81:33 K:BB across 16 starts (85 innings) prior to suffering the injury.

Kuhl underwent elbow surgery Wednesday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

After getting a second opinion on his elbow following a setback last week, Kuhl elected to go the surgical route. He initially suffered a forearm strain near the end of June and was attempting to make a return before the end of the 2018 season when he felt tightness in his arm while throwing off flat ground earlier this month. More details regarding this procedure and a timetable for his eventual return will come to light in the near future once the Pirates release the details.

Kuhl (forearm) will be re-examined by Dr. David Altchek in New York on Tuesday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Kuhl has been out since late June and recently had to cancel a scheduled bullpen session after suffering a setback in his recovery. A timetable for his return should become clearer after the evaluation, though it's unclear if he'll even be able to return this season even with a good result given how close the end of the season is.

Kuhl (forearm) was scheduled to throw off a mound Tuesday but scrapped the session after feeling some tightness when throwing on flat ground, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Kuhl has been out since late June with the forearm injury and is simply hoping to see game action again this season, either with the Pirates or in an instructional league. The 26-year-old indicated he didn't aggravate the injury and currently doesn't expect to be examined further. It seems like the Pirates are remaining cautious rather than Kuhl suffering a setback, but he remains without an official timetable for his return.

Kuhl (forearm) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Kuhl threw all fastballs in Wednesday's session, which apparently went well. The right-hander has been on the shelf since the end of June with a forearm injury, but the Pirates are hoping to see him play somewhere competitively this season, either the majors or instructional league.