Diamondbacks pitcher Shelby Miller to undergo Tommy John surgery

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Shelby Miller told reporters on Saturday that he would be undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Bad news for the Arizona Diamondbacks and their solid start to the 2017 MLB season.

Before Saturday’s game against the Colorado Rockies, starting pitcher Shelby Miller announced that he had decided to undergo Tommy John surgery for his injured right elbow.

Miller, who sought a second and third opinion on his injured elbow, has finally opted for one of the most dreaded injury-related phrases in all of sports. He suffered a forearm flexor strain and a partial ligament tear in the elbow during a start against the Los Angeles Dodgers last weekend.

At 15-10 heading into Saturday’s action, the Diamondbacks sat half a game behind the Rockies (15-9) for first place in the NL West and boasted the third-best record in the National League overall.

This is a definite blow to their pitching crew, as Miller was having a drastically improved season compared to his underwhelming 2016 campaign. In four starts this year, he went 2-2 with a 4.09 ERA. In his 20 starts last season, Miller went 3-12 with a 6.15 ERA, and also spent time in Triple-A playing for the Reno Aces.

Miller was placed on the 60-day disabled list on Thursday. Zach Godley replaced him in the lineup Wednesday.

After Arizona traded their No. 1 overall 2015 draft pick (Dansby Swanson), center fielder Ender Inciarte and pitcher Aaron Blair for Miller, the 26-year-old right-handed pitcher has been unable to provide the return the Diamondbacks were hoping for. This injury news is yet another blow to the cause.

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Here’s hoping the surgery goes well and that Shelby Miller can return healthy in the future.