No surgery for now, but Ross will miss rest of season

Joe Ross won't need Tommy John surgery for now, but the Nationals right-hander will miss the rest of the season after getting examined by the Dallas-area orthopedist who performed his first elbow ligament replacement four years ago.

The diagnosis from Keith Meister was a sprained ulnar collateral ligament, which is consistent with the team's initial MRI results last weekend that showed a partial tear. A full tear would've guaranteed Tommy John surgery. The partial tear leaves some leeway for doctors to attempt a different course of action.

Ross will need rest and a lengthy rehab program that will keep him from pitching again in 2021. But the Nationals are hopeful he'll be able to return next spring and pitch without needing surgery.

"Of course, he's not going to be happy because he wanted to continue to pitch, but I think that's great news," manager Davey Martinez said during his Zoom session with reporters prior to tonight's game against the Blue Jays. "We'll get him the rest that he needs and then get him back on the mound as soon as we can. But I don't expect him at this point to pitch any more this year. We want to make sure he's completely healthy, and he's ready to go in spring training."

Ross first reported a strange feeling in his right elbow following his standard between-starts bullpen session Saturday. Given his injury history - he needed Tommy John surgery in 2017 - the Nationals had him undergo an MRI, which revealed the partial tear of the UCL.

They had Ross fly to Dallas to be examined by Meister, knowing a second ligament replacement surgery was possible but hopeful he could avoid it. Meister confirmed the initial diagnosis but said the 28-year-old could attempt the rest and rehab route and avoid surgery for now.

Martinez didn't provide a detailed rehab plan, but by making the decision now, Ross can essentially rest his arm for the rest of the season, then slowly start to build himself up over the winter and into spring training.

It's still possible once he begins pitching again the injury will continue to plague him, and that could ultimately require the surgery. But even in that worst-case scenario, Ross would be forced to miss the 2022 season and still have enough time to complete rehab and begin the 2023 season on time.

After finishing the 2019 season healthy and starting Game 5 of the World Series, Ross looked poised for a breakthrough in 2020. But he chose to opt out of the pandemic-shortened season, then returned this year hoping to pick up where he left off.

The Nationals kept a close eye on Ross throughout, minimizing his workload when possible. He spent three weeks on the injured list last month with right elbow inflammation, then returned to pitch in four games after that, compiling a 4.79 ERA in them.

In 20 total appearances this season (19 of them starts), Ross went 5-9 with a 4.17 ERA and 1.222 WHIP. Six times he didn't allow an earned run over five or more innings, a feat only three other big leaguers achieved more times: Zack Wheeler, Jacob deGrom and Walker Buehler.

"It's never easy, especially for a young kid like Joe that's gone through what he went through already, to shut him down for any reason," Martinez said. "He was upset about it. But when I talk to him, I need to reiterate that this is great news. It's headed in a positive direction, and he has to look at it like that. Now we just have to get him built up, get him strong again and have him get ready for spring training."