Fred Thornhill
Jesse Litsch won't be coming this season.
The 24-year-old right-handed pitcher will be undergoing Tommy John surgery on his elbow Friday Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said before Tuesday night's game against the Texas Rangers.
The surgery will be performed by Dr. James Andrews, the renowned orthopedist from Birmingham, Alabama.
"It just keeps bothering him so they're going to go ahead and do it," said Gaston.
With the standard recovery time, Litsch won't likely return to the major leagues until this time next season.
Litsch was first put on the 15-day disabled list on April 14th after struggling with a sore forearm after getting rocked in his first two starts following spring training.
He finishes the 2009 season with an 0-1 record and an earned-run average of 9.00 after coming out of spring training as the No.2 starter behind Roy Halladay.
Litsch was cleared by Andrews in April and nothing was found when he returned in late May, still in pain. He has since done some throwing but was still reporting discomfort.
Last season Litsch was 13-9 with an earned run average of 3.58.