GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The news regarding Cody Anderson's MRI was met with understandable disappointment and uncertainty, but there was also some optimism.
The Indians right-hander was diagnosed with a mild sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow on Friday, but Cleveland manager Terry Francona said that "as of right now," it did not look like Anderson would need surgery. The worst-case scenario for a UCL, a tear, requires season-ending Tommy John surgery.
Francona said the team would schedule a visit with a doctor for a second opinion but that no date or specific doctor had been identified as of Friday morning.
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"He was going to be down a little bit from throwing anyway, so there's no immediate rush. But just for his sake, you'd like to get it looked at again," Francona said. "But they want to work with him and see who it should be and when it can be."
Anderson, 26, had debridement surgery on the elbow last November and was ramping up his throwing program in bullpen sessions this spring before a new onset of symptoms appeared last week and he was shut down.
"It's really a good thing to always get a second opinion," Francona said. "It's not going to hurt anything. The more information, the better. The more sets of good eyes, the better. And whatever the doctors conclude, we'll follow that and get him going."
Anderson, who began the 2016 season as the Indians' No. 4 starter and ended it in the team's bullpen, is 9-8 with a 4.50 ERA in 34 games (24 starts) over two big league seasons.