Cincinnati Reds Homer Bailey Has Elbow Surgery Again

When the Cincinnati Reds inked Homer Bailey to a six year extension, he was supposed to anchor their rotation for the foreseeable future. Instead, he has not been able to remain healthy, and underwent another surgery on his elbow yesterday.

Homer Bailey was expected to be the staff ace of the Cincinnati Reds. He had thrown over 200 innings in 2012 and 2013, fired two no hitters, and looked like a possible front of the rotation starter. At just 27 years old heading into the 2014 season, Bailey was theoretically about to enter his prime, making his six year, $105 Million extension understandable.

However, almost from the moment the ink dried on that extension, Bailey began to have injury concerns. He had a solid 2014 season, posting a 9-5 record with a 3.71 ERA and a 1.229 WHiP before a torn flexor tendon ended his season. Then, in 2015, Bailey underwent Tommy John surgery. Those elbow woes are not over, as Bailey underwent another surgery yesterday, this time to remove bone spurs from his elbow.

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This is another blow to the once promising righty. In the past three seasons, due to his elbow issues, he has thrown a total of 180 innings. In that time, he has a 4.20 ERA and a 1.339 WHiP, numbers that do not really show how bad his last two seasons were. Since 2015, Bailey has thrown just 34.1 innings, with a 6.29 ERA and a 1.806 WHiP.

On the positive side for Bailey and the Reds, his previous issues have not resurfaced. Both his UCL and flexor tendons are healthy, making the bone spurs the only issue. With a four to six week turnaround time before he can pitch, his stint on the disabled list may well be a short one.

In the interim, this injury could be beneficial for the Reds. They will be able to give some of their young arms, such as Amir Garrett and Robert Stephenson, a longer look in Spring Training. It is possible that they could locate a solid option to slot into that pitching staff, which would be desperately needed as they should not count on Bailey to remain healthy going forward.

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The 2017 season has not yet begun, and Homer Bailey is set to miss time for the Cincinnati Reds. Although it is not a major injury, Bailey’s track record of injuries has continued once again.