Reports: Jose Fernandez has torn UCL, likely needs surgery

Well, we all but knew this was coming.

Sources are reporting to ESPN.com that Jose Fernandez has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching arm and will, in all likelihood, require Tommy John Surgery.

This means we very well might not see The Defector until this time next year, at the very earliest. The recovery time for the ligament replacement procedure is typically 12-18 months.

Fernandez was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday by the Marlins, with little warning beforehand that anything was amiss. This came three quiet days after being knocked around by the San Diego Padres when he was rumored to be ailing from a stomach bug.

He joins youthful stars such as the Atlanta Braves’ Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy, Tampa Bay Rays’ Matt Moore and former Marlin Josh Johnson of the Padres as members of the 2014 Tommy John club. That’s a club to which no one would willingly accept a membership card. And its list has grown at an alarming rate since the start of Spring Training.

The impending loss of their young ace is a crushing blow to a Marlins team that has contended against the odds to this point in 2014. Despite currently riding a four-game losing streak, the Marlins are still 20-19 and until this west coast road trip fielded one of the best pitching rotations in baseball.

Now that rotation will need to be patched together without its number one starter and Cy Young award candidate.