Brewers’ Reliever Corey Knebel to Have Tommy John Surgery, Out for 2019

Corey Knebel. Photo by John Fisher/CSM/REX/Shutterstock

The 2019 MLB season barely started and Milwaukee Brewers are already facing some serious setback. Brewers’ reliever Corey Knebel told reporters on Friday that he will have to undergo a Tommy John surgery in order to repair the partially torn UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) in his right elbow. This will rule out the 27-year-old for the entire year.

Knebel revealed that he was feeling some problems in the area “for five years” and that soreness “got a little worse” lately. This prompted him to opt for surgery so he could have a good chance to return for the start of 2020 MLB season.

According to Brewers beat writer Adam McCalvy, Corey Knebel was recently presented with two options on how to handle the UCL tear: to have surgery and miss the entire 2019 or to go through a rehab process that could potentially allow him to return in the summer. The problem with the second option was that if the rehab turned out to be unsuccessful, he would have to still undergo surgery and would then miss two seasons.

Knebel had a solid 2018 season, in which he went 4-3 while recording 16 saves and a 3.58 ERA alongside 0.90 ERA in nine postseason games. During his five years in the majors, he played 224 games and has a 6-11 record with 57 saves and a 3.15 ERA.

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