BOSTON – Left-hander Mitchell Parker was diagnosed with a Grade 3 UCL sprain on Tuesday. The likely course of action will be undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Parker exited Sunday’s game in Baltimore following a sudden plummet in velocity. He was placed on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation on Monday. An MRI on Tuesday revealed the extent of the injury.
“I’m not surprised off of what I felt, but disappointed,” Parker said. “It sucks. But we’ll be back.”
After processing the news and seeking advice from others who have undergone Tommy John surgery, Parker shared his perspective when he spoke about the injury on Tuesday.
“It’s an inconvenience,” Parker said. “But we’re going to have some time to sit back and work on a lot of things and come back stronger and in the best version of ourselves.”
Parker will seek a second opinion, and he has been discussing treatment options. The Nationals have already begun planning how they can support him.
“You let him know we’re going to be there every step of the way,” manager Blake Butera said. “It’s a long process. [Step] one, making sure he knows he has the support of everybody here throughout this long journey. Next thing is – if you want to give him some confidence and positivity coming through this – you give him a long list of pitchers that are very successful in the big leagues right now that have had this surgery at least once.”
Parker had pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning against the Orioles in Sunday’s 6-4 win. He went back out for the seventh, and he opened the frame by striking out the first two batters. Then he allowed a single, a home run and a walk.
As soon as the ball left Parker’s hand to what would be his final batter, anyone watching could tell something was wrong. He flexed his hand, appearing to be in some discomfort after delivering a 94.7 mph four-seam fastball to Taylor Ward for the second ball of Ward’s plate appearance. The next two pitches Parker threw – both balls, for a four-pitch walk – were also four-seam fastballs, though they registered at 90.3 mph and 89.1 mph, and his yearly average for the pitch is 93.6 mph.
“At the end of the day, I thought the stuff, it was the best we’d seen,” Butera said of Parker’s performance before the injury. “I don’t know if [the injury] was a result of him trying to do more. It’s also not the first time I’ve seen someone get hurt the same time their stuff looked really good. It’s unfortunate. But he said he felt great up until those last couple of pitches.”
Parker, who entered the league as a starter, transitioned to the bullpen this season. He is 3-3 with a 6.58 ERA and one save in 39 2/3 innings (22 games).
“It’s the same game I've been playing, just little more intense situations,” Parker said of pitching in relief. “It’s going to be get the mind right for it, get everything in the right direction and come back better than where we left.”
The Nationals will have to adjust their bullpen strategy as Butera likes to manage to matchups. In addition to Parker, fellow left-hander Richard Lovelady was also placed on the IL on Monday. Lovelady is dealing with a left triceps strain. Washington recalled southpaw Carson Palmquist and right-hander Riley Cornelio from Triple-A Rochester to fill their spots.
“We need our two lefties, PJ [Poulin] and Palmquist, to step up for us,” said Butera.
Disappointed, but not deflated. Parker is ready to look forward to the process of getting healthy again.
“I’m not going to take the ‘what if’ into it,” Parker said. “I'm just going to go into it as positive as we can. … Anything negative is going to make it a lot longer recovery. I’m just going to take it head-on and be grateful.”