Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Felix Doubront will undergo Tommy John surgery on Tuesday.
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Doubront's Estimated Recovery Time is 12-18 Months
Monday, April 11
MLB.com's Jane Lee reported the news of Doubront's impending operation. The San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser noted the timetable for Doubront's eventual return, based on the span often associated with those undergoing Tommy John surgery for the first time.
The 28-year-old southpaw began his career with the Boston Red Sox but has bounced around a lot since 2014 in brief stints with the Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays and now with the A's.
Doubront has a unique sweeping delivery but hasn't lived up to his potential in the big leagues, posting a career record of 31-26 with a 4.89 ERA to date. Now he has an uphill climb just to get back to the mound in light of Monday's severe injury news.
Based on the rather surprising move the A's made in the first place to keep Doubront in their rotation and option Jesse Hahn to Triple-A, it stands to reason Hahn will get the call up to be Oakland's new No. 5 starter.
The A's staff is headlined by 26-year-old Sonny Gray, who is a solid ace but is the only proven commodity in the Oakland rotation. Hahn, Kendall Graveman and Chris Bassitt have potential but are inexperienced.
Manager Bob Melvin shouldn't have too much trouble adjusting to Doubront's absence. It's bound to create even more opportunities for Graveman, Bassitt and Hahn, who will hopefully round out a solid staff of the future using the 2016 campaign as a springboard, pivotal development year.
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