Brandon Williamson will need Tommy John surgery, MRI confirms
The Cincinnati Reds lefty was placed on the injured list earlier on Wednesday.
The optics of seeing Brandon Williamson wince during the 2nd inning of yesterday’s game between the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves were awful. He was clearly in pain, immediately walked off the mound, and as catcher Tyler Stephenson approached him to see what was up it seemed pretty clear that it was an elbow issue.
The only question remaining was the severity of the injury.
On Wednesday, the Reds placed Williamson on the 15-day IL and recalled fellow lefty Brandon Liebrandt, announcing it in an eerily nebulous way that did not include what the injury actually ‘was.’
As MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon relayed later on Wednesday afternoon, however, Williamson revealed that his UCL has a complete tear and that he’ll need Tommy John surgery to repair it.
Breaking news: Brandon Williamson revealed he has a full UCL tear and will need Tommy John surgery.
— Mark Sheldon (@m_sheldon) September 18, 2024
It’s a brutal blow to Williamson, who had missed almost all of the 2024 season while rehabbing his way back from a bad shoulder. Now, given the timing of his elbow injury and the estimated year-ish recovery time from Tommy John, he’ll almost certainly miss the entire 2025 season rehabbing, too.
It’s the latest in a long line of injury woes the Reds have faced with their rotation options in 2024. Each of Graham Ashcract, Andrew Abbott, and Nick Lodolo seem to be done for the season with their variety of ailments, while Hunter Greene will be lucky to make it back for at least one more start after his injury scare. That fragility paired with Nick Martinez almost certainly gone in free agency at season’s end leaves the state of what was once the backbone of this roster in a very, very tenuous position.
Best of luck to Brandon as he works his way back from this.