Milwaukee Brewers reliever Corey Knebel will miss the rest of the MLB season after opting to undergo Tommy John surgery.
Struggling with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, Knebel will have the season-ending procedure in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
The 2017 All-Star had been dealing with the injury since 2014, when he was a member of the Detroit Tigers. He had not pitched in spring training since March 17, when he reported discomfort in his elbow.
"Right now, I'm 27, and I think it's better to do it now than wait until later," Knebel said. "I'll come back for sure in a year. The success rate for Tommy John is unbelievable now, anyways. So that's the decision I made.
"All the doctors were basically saying the same thing -- 'We can do it or not and you can see how you feel after [rehab], and then if it's still not right, then you get [surgery].' Well, I'm out two years.
"I'd rather not miss two years. I'd rather miss one year. So that's what I'm doing."
Knebel had 16 saves and a 3.58 ERA in 57 games last season for the Brewers. While he will be missed, Milwaukee have one of the two or three deepest bullpens in baseball, with Josh Hader and Jeremy Jeffress.
However, Jeffress is sidelined with shoulder soreness and is not expected to be available for "multiple weeks," Milwaukee general David Stearns told reporters on Thursday.