On Wednesday, Reds starting pitcher Brandon Williamson revealed that he has a complete UCL tear, necessitating Tommy John surgery. Williamson had to exit Tuesday night’s game against Atlanta in the second inning due to an elbow strain. He briefly doubled over on the mound before being replaced by Fernando Cruz.
Williamson described the injury as unexpected, explaining that he had two MRIs to confirm the tear. The left-handed pitcher, drafted in the second round in 2019, had already been dealing with a shoulder injury from spring training. At 26 years old, he made his first major league start of the season on September 1, totaling four starts this year.
“I felt a bit off in the first inning but didn’t think much of it,” Williamson said. He noted that he might have altered his mechanics and felt the injury after trying to warm up more intensely in the second inning. “There were no warning signs. I threw a changeup and felt a tweak, but didn’t think much of it. Then, on the next pitch, I really felt it.”
Before the injury, Williamson had allowed three runs over 13 innings across three games. He gave up three runs in the first inning on Tuesday, ending the season with no wins and a 3.77 ERA.
Reds manager David Bell commented, “He is still young and athletic. While he won’t be available for opening day, we hope to have him back later in the season next year, although we don’t have a detailed timeline yet.”
