JT Brubaker Undergoes Season-Ending UCL Surgery

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates right-handed pitcher JT Brubaker underwent right elbow surgery to reconstruct the ulnar collateral ligament on Wednesday. The surgery was performed by Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas, Texas.

The Pirates project Brubaker to return to major league competition in 14-16 months.

Brubaker, 29, was initially placed on the 15-day injured list on March 30 with right elbow discomfort before being transferred to the 60-day IL three days later.

According to Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk, Brubaker went for a second opinion on Tuesday before getting his surgery done on Wednesday.

Brubaker made his big league debut in 2020 and has been a mainstay in the Pirates’ rotation each of the last two seasons. In 63 career appearances (61 starts), Brubaker is 9-28 with a 4.99 ERA/4.43 FIP and 324 strikeouts in 315.2 innings pitched.

The right-hander was expected to be a part of the Pirates’ rotation again in 2023 but instead will miss the entire season. The timeline of the surgery puts his return date sometime between June-August, 2024.