The St. Louis Cardinals confirmed Tuesday that hard-throwing reliever Jordan Hicks will undergo Tommy John surgery on his injured right elbow.
Cardinals president John Mozeliak told reporters before Tuesday’s game against the Oakland Athletics that the ligament-replacement procedure was necessary after an ulnar collateral ligament injury was revealed Monday.
Hicks, who routinely throws fastballs in excess of 100 mph, was removed from Saturday’s 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels after striking out David Fletcher for the second out of the ninth inning.
According to ESPN, Hicks has thrown 211 pitches that registered at least 100 mph on the radar gun. It is over 100 more 100-mph pitches than the next closest pitcher.
The Cardinals already announced that Hicks would be out for the remainder of the season. Recovery from Tommy John surgery is known to take at least a full calendar year.
Hicks was 2-2 with 14 saves and a 3.14 ERA in his second season with the Cardinals. He has 20 career saves in 102 appearances, with a 3.47 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 106 1/3 innings.
