Loading ...Season over, and probably his career:
Veteran left-hander Kent Mercker will undergo season-ending reconstructive surgery on his left elbow, the Cincinnati Reds said Monday.
The 38-year-old Mercker was placed on the disabled list Saturday after pitching a scoreless inning in relief Friday night in Philadelphia. He was examined Monday by Timothy Kremchek, the Reds’ medical director, who scheduled surgery for Thursday. Mercker has been on the disabled list three times this season because of elbow problems.
Mercker is 1-1, with a 4.13 ERA and one save in 37 relief appearances this season. He did not allow an earned run in his final 12 appearances.
What’s most amazing is this, from Marc:
The fact that Kent Mercker was able to throw another pitch in the 10th inning Friday after feeling a burning sensation in his elbow on a wild pitch to Ryan Howard was fairly remarkable. An MRI and further examination by Doc Kremchek today revealed that Mercker had completely torn his ulnar collateral ligament and suffered an 80-percent tear in his flexor tendon.
Redleg Nation offers best wishes to Kent, and our hopes for a speedy recovery. Mercker has had a nice career, and he’s always been a classy member of the Reds organization.
Sadly, the putrid Reds bullpen is now even worse.
yeah once I heard that Kent went on the DL I knew that his career was done. Ashame since he had been pitching well lately. Oh well, hope he enjoys his retirement.
tough to see one of the two veterans of the many the reds had in that pen coming in to the year that actually panned out is done now, but he definitely contributed and it’s kinda sad to see his career end like that
this plus the fact i’ll miss the entire game tomorrow night because of traffic school really bites
It sucks that his career is ending this way, but he walked as if he was going to retire after this season anyway.
Interestingly, he also talked as if he was going to retire after this season anyway.
He walked and talked?
Tough loss. Make room for another new face in the bullpen…
hate to see him go … going to miss him, especially since he was – imo, no stats handy to prove it – one of the top hurlers out of the pen
hopefully kent will keep his presence felt in the clubhouse, i’m sure the whole team will want him to be around for the stretch run.
i’m not too worried about our pen getting worse, shack is great against lefties, and cormier actually hasn’t been this year, so we might get a little better.