Oakland A’s right-hander Jarrod Parker will miss the entire season because he needs Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ulnar-collateral ligament in his pitching elbow, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Monday.
Parker, 25, was previously named the team’s Opening Day starter.
It will be Parker’s second Tommy Johnson surgery. He also had the operation in 2009 when he pitched in the minor leagues.
Parker went 12-8 with a 3.97 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 134 strikeouts in 197 innings for the A’s in 2013.
The A’s may have trouble filling their rotation. Right-hander A.J. Griffin is out three weeks with discomfort in his pitching elbow and left-hander Scott Kazmir was scratched from his spring start with left triceps stiffness.
That leaves Sonny Gray and Dan Straily as the only healthy pitchers in the A’s projected rotation. Tommy Milone and Jesse Chavez could replace Parker and Griffin in the rotation in the meantime.
If Kazmir is out for a lengthy amount of time, Oakland’s options include Drew Pomeranz and Josh Lindblom.