Ken Waldichuk undergoes elbow surgery

The lefty will miss the 2024 season

The Athletics on Thursday announced that young left-hander Ken Waldichuk underwent successful elbow surgery:

It is in fact the dreaded Tommy John surgery that Waldichuk needed. The surgery was performed by renowned surgeon Dr. Neil ElAttrache in Los Angeles and Waldichuk is now back in Oakland recovering. He’ll miss the entire 2024 season and likely a good amount of the 2025 season.

This is a disappointing development for the young lefty. Waldichuk injured himself in his final appearance of the 2023 season. He was diagnosed with a UCL sprain but not a full tear. He later had elbow surgery in December to remove scar tissue from his elbow. The hope was that that would be the end of his elbow problems.

Waldichuk had been throwing off a mound as recently as last month, getting a bullpen session in. He was even preparing to embark on a rehab assignment at the beginning of May but instead felt continued pain in that elbow. He was shut down and went back to ElAttrache this week. The doctor obviously saw enough damage to Waldichuk’s UCL that Tommy John was recommended.

One of the main return pieces in the Frankie Montas trade, Waldichuk made his big league debut a few weeks later, impressing the club in his first taste of big league action. Expectations were high for the lefty heading into the 2024 season.

Instead Waldichuk struggled in his first real extended time against major league hitters. Waldichuk struggled so much that he was demoted to the bullpen during the summer, making 13 appearances in relief. He would make a return to the starting rotation and looked much better over the final two months of the season, giving hope that he figured it out. Sadly we will now have to wait over a year to see Waldichuk back on the mound, and the team meanwhile loses a promising young left-handed starter. Tough beat all around.