DENVER — Colorado Rockies right-hander Jordan Lyles will undergo season-ending surgery June 10 to repair the medial collateral ligament and the capsule in his left big toe.
Dr. Joshua Metzl will perform the operation in Denver.
“I guess it’s pretty much Tommy John (surgery) on the big toe,” Lyles said before the Rockies rallied for three runs in the ninth inning to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-6 Wednesday. “I’ll be off my foot for a month or two and then use crutches for another month or two after that. I’m not really sure how long the process is, but we don’t believe I’ll be back this year.”
In his second season with the Rockies, Lyles went 2-5 with a 5.14 ERA in 10 starts.
He originally injured the toe May 23 in a start against the San Francisco Giants, forcing him to leave after facing three batters in the fifth. Lyles was scheduled to start last Friday at Philadelphia, but that start was pushed back to Sunday. He left in the second inning after trying to get out of the way a hard comebacker hit by Cody Asche, the sixth batter he faced.
“I tried to deal with the pain, but it just gave out on me last start,” Lyles said. “After the initial damage to my toe, I knew surgery was in the future. I decided to give it a go and try to keep going, and it didn’t work out.
“It (stinks) being out for the season. Same as last year, it hurts, being out for a couple months. This is going to be longer.”
Lyles missed 54 games last year when he broke his left hand while making a tag at the plate on June 4. This season on May 13, Lyles was struck on the right hand by an Albert Pujols line drive in the first inning but was able to make his next start on schedule.
Manager Walt Weiss said of Lyles, “He’s obviously a tough kid, always gives us competitive starts when he takes the ball. It’s certainly tough news about Jordan.”