Things took a perilous turn for the Blue Jays during Friday’s 6-5 win over the Yankees when, after lobbing a pitch in the 10th inning, lefty reliever Tim Mayza sustained what appeared to be a serious left elbow injury. Immediately after throwing the ball, Mayza knelt behind the mound and clutched at his forearm as he was comforted by his teammates.
Following an initial evaluation, the lefty then walked off the field with a team trainer and was replaced on the mound by Ryan Tepera, who worked in tandem with catcher Reese McGuire to close out the inning with three quick outs. The Blue Jays have yet to announce a formal diagnosis for Mayza, but it doesn’t look good for the 27-year-old southpaw.
Entering Friday’s game, Mayza carried a 4.91 ERA, 4.6 BB/9, 9.6 SO/9, and 0.1 fWAR through 51 1/3 innings. Should he wind up on the injured list sometime this month, it’ll be his second such stint after dealing with a bout of left ulnar neuritis this past spring.
Update: Mayza was diagnosed with a torn UCL, according to a report on Saturday. He’ll undergo Tommy John surgery, which is likely to keep him on the shelf until 2021.
