Philadelphia Phillies will likely have to continue the quest for their first World Series appearance since 2009 without pitcher Jake Arrieta. Speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Arrieta hinted that he might be forced to undergo a surgery on his elbow which would sideline him for the remainder of the season.
Arrieta has been diagnosed with a bone spur in his right elbow in early July but decided to pitch through pain for the last month. Things got worse since then, and now the surgery seems imminent.
According to Arrieta, if he decides to undergo the procedure, he won’t pitch again this season.
“I would have liked it to go differently,” – said Arrieta. “I would have liked to pitch the remainder of the season healthy, but it’s something that I really couldn’t control. The spur stayed pretty dormant for 7-8 years, and it decided to give me trouble and get to size now where this is the only option to me getting back to the pitcher that I am. And that’s OK. This is what I have to do.”
Jake Arrieta made 24 starts with the Phillies this season and has an 8-8 record with 4.64 ERA and 110 strikeouts. In the last 13 starts, however, his ERA plummeted to 5.76.
Philadelphia signed Arrieta to a three-year, $75 million deal in 2018 and it is hard to say he justified the money invested in him so far. Still, the 33-year-old was an important piece of the Phillies’ puzzle and losing him will certainly be a big blow for the team in the postseason.
