San Diego Padres right-hander Jacob Nix has been diagnosed with a strained ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing arm and will be out for at least two months, according to team sources.
As of right now the Padres plan on Nix to undergo a cautious recovery period for about 6-8 weeks before they allow him to throw again. The other option is for Nix to elect for Tommy John surgery, which would sideline him for the remainder of the 2019 season and most of 2020, however the Padres are optimistic surgery will not be necessary.
#Padres RHP Jacob Nix has a tear in his UCL. He will be evaluated by renowned orthopedist Dr. Neal ElAttrache before deciding if surgery is best course.Nix, who made his first nine big-league starts last year, had promising spring.
— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) March 19, 2019San Diego's No. 19 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, was battling for the final spot in the Padres rotation before sustaining the injury. Unfortunately his elbow started to flare up last week, after pitching one inning in a rain shortened-game. Yesterday marked the timeframe in which the Padres would allow Nix to resume throwing, but again he felt pain in his elbow causing him to undergo an MRI, which revealed the UCL strain.
With Nix sidelined for at least two months, opportunity knocks for Padres pitchers that are battling for the final rotation spot. As it stands, Joey Lucchesi and Eric Lauer look to be locks with Chris Paddack and Matt Strahm remaining high favorites. That leaves one spot for the likes of Cal Quantrill, Robbie Erlin and Logan Allen or perhaps an outside move, although according to sources, seems unlikely before Opening Day.
