Fernando Cruz has not been at his best this month for the New York Yankees, and he was placed on the injured list Wednesday with right elbow discomfort.
Cruz was diagnosed with a partial tear of the UCL and may need season-ending Tommy John surgery.
"Right now, diagnosed with a partial tear of the UCL," manager Aaron Boone said on Wednesday. "He's going to go through and get second opinions and stuff. That's what we got right now."
"That would be on the table, year," Boone said when asked if Tommy John surgery was on the table. "We'll get other opinions, but that's certainly on the table."
Losing Cruz would be a huge blow to the Yankees. He has appeared in 61 games this season, posting a 3.13 ERA. In August, he had allowed six earned runs in eight innings of work, raising his ERA by 0.62 in just 10 games. He is a key member of one of the best bullpens in baseball, and the Yankees will have to find a way to replace hi if they want to win the World Series.
He has a 3.33 ERA in 110 games with the Yankees in the last two seasons. He is a versatile weapon for Aaron Boone, getting more than three outs many times this season. He is deployed all over the place as well. He has pitched in the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth innings this year.