Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, underwent Tommy John surgery on Friday and will miss the 2024 season, he announced on social media.
“I give this game my all, I give this city my all. And so I promise I will not take a day off as I push to be back better than ever. I will miss pitching, but I plan to be around the team as much as possible,” Alcantara wrote in an Instagram post. “I’m confident that guys like Jesus, Eury, Edward, Garrett and Trevor will hold down the fort while I am there giving my support.
“Nothing can take away from my love for Miami and the Marlins fans.”
Alcantara had been sidelined since Sept. 6 with what was initially diagnosed as a right forearm flexor strain, after first experiencing discomfort while pitching against Washington on Sept. 3. An MRI later revealed he had a sprained right UCL.
The Marlins right-hander had been working his way back in the hopes of rejoining the team amid its playoff push, but he was shut down for the season on Sept. 23 after experiencing a setback in his recovery following a rehab start.
The Marlins clinched the final National League wild-card spot but were swept by the Philadelphia Phillies in the opening-round series to end their season.
“I am most saddened for the great Marlins fans, who were so supportive of me and the team this year,” Alcantara said in his post. “The drive to the playoffs was thrilling for all of us.”
Before going on the injured list with the first arm-related issue of his big league career, Alcantara had thrown 184⅔ innings and three complete games, going 7-12 with a 4.14 ERA and 151 strikeouts.
In 2022, Alcantara had a 14-9 record and 2.28 ERA, while leading the majors in innings (228⅔) and complete games (3) to become the Marlins’ first Cy Young Award winner.
Information from The Associated Press was included in this report.