Robert Stephenson To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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Angels reliever  announced that hell undergo Tommy John surgery and an Lance Berkman Jersey  internal brace procedure next week ( via Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register). Thatll likely sideline him a few months into the 2025 season.  The Halos that an elbow injury would cause Stephenson to mi s all of 2024. While the team didnt indicate at the time whether hed need surgery, its not a surprising development. The righty said hes hopeful of returning early next year, although the timeline for a Tommy John recovery is usually in the 14-16 month range.  Stephenson didnt get to pitch during his first season with the Angels. He was delayed in camp by a sore shoulder. He reported the more significant elbow pain during his first (and only) rehab outing for Triple-A Salt Lake. That evidently revealed UCL damage, which has contractual ramifications. Stephensons deal contained a conditional option for the 2027 season that would go into effect if he suffered a serious elbow injury. While hell make $11MM annually over the next three years, the Angels now have a very modest $2.5MM club option for 27.  Of course, the team would have preferred to have Stephenson on the Angel Stadium mound this year instead. They envisioned him as an anchor of their setup corps after his breakout with the Rays. The hard-throwing righty pitched to a 2.35 ERA with a 42.9% strikeout rate in 38 1/3 innings after Tampa Bay acquired him last June. Hell mi s all of this season, his age-31 campaign. The option year covers his age-34 season.  Rusty Staub Jersey