The Philadelphia Phillies and right-handed pitcher Jake Arrieta have decided that he won’t continue to pitch through the bone spurs that have taken a toll on his effectiveness in 2019, electing to undergo a procedure to remove the problematic hindrance.
Arrieta was placed on the injured list on Wednesday as the team decided to go with Zach Eflin in its starting rotation instead of continuing to throw the veteran righty out on the mound every fifth day to ineffective results.
The 33-year-old righty has had his worst season since 2012 this year, posting an inflated 4.64 ERA in 24 starts for the Phillies. His 2019 has been a disappointment to say the least after signing a 3-year, $75 million deal with the NL East club prior to the 2018 season.
Arrieta’s form has gotten even worse in recent months, as the 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner has put up an unsightly 5.76 ERA over his past 13 starts while dealing with the injury.
Rather than continue to ride Arrieta as the team looks to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011, Philadelphia would rather have the righty undergo a medical procedure to ensure that he’s ready to go for 2020.
The details of Arrieta’s pending surgery are still unknown.
