Vince Velasquez Undergoes Season-Ending Elbow Surgery

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates will be without the services of Vince Velasquez for the rest of the 2023 season after the right-hander underwent season-ending elbow surgery on Wednesday.

The surgery, performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, will keep Velasquez from throwing for the next four months. He’s anticipated to return to game action in 11-12 months.

The surgery was done to address damage to Velasquez’s UCL, but was not Tommy John.

It’s a tough blow for the Pirates who have seen their starting pitching depth take a hit this year. In addition to Velasquez, JT Brubaker and prospect Mike Burrows also underwent elbow surgery that will keep them out for the year.

For Velasquez, he was finding a bit of a career resurgence with the Pirates after agreeing to a one-year free agent contract in the offseason.

In eight starts with the Pirates this season, Velasquez was 4-4 with a 3.86 ERA. He struck out 37 batters across 37.1 innings.

Velasquez was first placed on the injured list in early May with right-elbow discomfort. After returning from the IL to face the Rays in Tampa Bay later in the month, he was removed from that start after only two innings and was again placed on the IL.