Twins RHP Jose de Leon undergo Tommy John surgery

Minnesota Twins right-handed reliever Jose de Leon tore ligaments in his pitching elbow, requiring Tommy John surgery and will miss the rest of the season, the team announced Monday.

De Leon suffered an apparent right flexor strain during warm-ups in the top of the eighth inning for the University of Minnesota in Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the host Detroit Tigers. Instead, after further testing, he, who has already missed the 2018 season with a torn ulnar collateral ligament, will undergo Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career.

The 30-year-old appeared in a career-high 12 games (one start) for the Twins this season, going 0-1 with a 4.67 ERA.

The former Los Angeles Dodgers 24th-round pick made his debut with the Dodgers in 2016 and was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2017. He struggled after a losing 2018 season before returning as a pitcher in three games in 2019. 2020 Cincinnati Reds.

After struggling on the field with Cincinnati in the 2020-21 season, he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays but did not become a big league club.

Minnesota signed De Leon to a minor league deal last December. After performing well in the 2023 World Baseball Classic in Puerto Rico in the spring (10 strikeouts in 5 2/3 shutouts), he pitched well enough to return to the major league club in Triple-A St. Paul.

–Field level media

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