Carson Smith to undergo Tommy John surgery

Carson Smith works against the New York Yankees in the seventh inning of a spring training baseball game on March 15. Tony Gutierrez/AP

By PJ Wright

May 24, 2016

1 minute to read

After just three appearances on the mound for the Red Sox, Carson Smith’s season is already over.

Smith will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, the team announced on Tuesday. The procedure will be performed Tuesday afternoon by Dr. David Altchek at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, NY.

The #RedSox announced today that RHP Carson Smith will undergo UCL
reconstruction surgery (Tommy John) on his right elbow today.

— Red Sox (@RedSox) May 24, 2016

The 26-year-old right-handed reliever had originally been placed on the disabled list on April 3 (retroactive to March 25) after suffering an elbow injury during a spring training appearance against the St. Louis Cardinals on March 21. He returned to the Red Sox on May 3, but faced just 11 batters in 2.2 scoreless innings of work before being shut down again.

Smith was acquired by the Red Sox along with left-handed pitcher Roenis Elias in a December 2015 trade that sent pitchers Wade Miley and Jonathan Aro to the Seattle Mariners. In 2015, Smith posted a 2-5 record with a 2.31 ERA in 70 innings pitched for Seattle; he finished seventh among pitchers with at least 60 IP in strikeouts per nine innings (11.83).