Cardinals Pitcher Jaime Garcia To Have Season Ending Surgery

The St. Louis Cardinals have found their first road block after a great start to the 2013 MLB season, as starting pitcher Jaime Garcia is set to have season ending surgery on his shoulder. The 26-year-old visited Dr. James Andrews for an examination that revealed a small tear in his labrum.

Dr. Andrews described the tear as being about “30 to 40” percent, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The left-hander won’t be back on the mound this season, and he could miss up to the beginning of the 2014 season depending on his recovery.

His shoulder problems aren’t a new issue, as he left Game 2 of the 2012 NLDS against the Washington Nationals with shoulder soreness and never returned throughout the rest of the playoffs. Many fans and analysts criticized Garcia for not returning, though it seems his early exit was the right decision.

Even with his shoulder problems, Garcia was off to a respectable start in 2013, as he managed a 5-2 record with a 3.58 earned run average through nine starts before visiting Dr. James Andrews. He’s also averaged seven strikeouts per nine innings this year, though he’s given up more home runs (6) than any other Cardinals’ pitcher.

Jaime Garcia was placed on the disabled list on May 18th and Tyler Lyons was called up as his replacement. Lyons is scheduled to start against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, and his stay in the majors may be a little longer now that Garcia won’t be coming back this year.

Garcia’s been worried about his shoulder for some time, as he was quoted by MLB.com this past Saturday for saying, “I’m very concerned, especially, the way I felt last night and the way I feel today.”

His concern’s were spot on, and Dr. James Andrews confirmed the bad news during their examination. Can the St. Louis Cardinals replace Jamie Garcia’s production in the rotation to continue their winning ways in the NL Central?

[Image via Barbara Moore]