San Diego Padres left-hander Cory Luebke appears headed for a second reconstructive elbow surgery that will sideline him for the second consecutive season.
An MRI on Friday of Luebke’s left elbow detected a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament, MLB.com reported Tuesday.
The 28-year-old pitcher had Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery on May 23, 2012, and did not pitch last season.
“I feel bad for him — from 2011 through the first part of 2012, he was certainly on his way,” Padres general manager Josh Byrnes told MLB.com. “This is a real setback. There’s been a lot of missed time. Hopefully in a year or so, he can get back to being Cory Luebke. This whole thing has been a mystery.”
Luebke made 25 career starts and pitched in 55 games for the Padres from 2012 until May 2012, posting a 10-12 record with a 3.25 ERA. In 2012, he was off to a 3-1 start with a 2.61 ERA in five starts when he was injured.
The Padres were hoping that Luebke could return to their rotation in 2014, but it now looks like he will not be back until at least 2015.
Luebke is under contract in 2014 for $3 million and in 2015 for $5.25 million.