The San Francisco Giants have announced that Starter Johnny Cueto is out for the 2018 season and part of the 2019 season. Cueto is undergoing Tommy John Surgery in Los Angeles after pitching in nine starts.
The #SFGiants announced today that right-handed pitcher Johnny Cueto will undergo Tommy John surgery tomorrow. Dr. Neal ElAttrache will perform the procedure at the Kerlin Jobe clinic in Los Angeles.
Cueto went 3-2 with a 3.23 ERA in nine starts this season.
— San Francisco Giants (@SFGiants) August 2, 2018
In 2018, Cueto pitched in nine starts and has gone 3-2 with a 3.23 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP striking out 38 batters through 53 innings pitched. Cueto missed time early in the year with an elbow strain and came back in July. When Cueto had his last start on July 28th pitching in four innings giving up 4 runs on 8 hits. Following this start, Cueto admitted that he is in pain when he pitches.
Cueto was a part of the 2015 World Series Champion Kansas City Royals team, he then signed with the Giants and was lights out in 2017. Elbow injuries have been a common theme for Cueto the last few years, including earlier this year. It appears that he could miss the next 14-16 months which means he will be back late in 2019 0r even possibly be pushed into a 2020 return.
The Giants are currently in 4th place in the National League West Division, they are four and a half games back of the second wildcard spot. With the loss of Cueto, the Giants are now down two of their prized starters with Jeff Samardzija on the disabled list as well with a shoulder injury.
