The Miami Marlins have to play for two more months, but the season is over for right-hander Edinson Volquez and shortstop JT Riddle.
Volquez will have Tommy John surgery for the second time Friday to repair the partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Riddle will have surgery Aug. 11 to repair the torn labrum in his left shoulder.
The injury to Volquez, the Marlins’ Opening Day starter this year, in particular is a significant loss for player and team. Tommy John surgery typically requires a minimum 12-month rehabilitation process, which means a best-case scenario has Volquez back toward the end of the 2018 season, if at all.
Since Volquez, 34, signed a two-year, $22 million deal with the Marlins last offseason, his time pitching for the team might be over. He’ll make $13 million next year either way.
“It’s a devastating blow, no question,” said Michael Hill, the president of baseball operations. “We brought him in to be a veteran stabilizer for this rotation. To lose him with the knee was a big blow, but now to know that the elbow needs to be repaired is definitely difficult to deal with.”
Volquez initially landed on the disabled list July 6 with left knee tendinitis. As he worked through his throwing program while rehabbing, Volquez complained of elbow pain, so the club sent him for an MRI.
They learned conclusively Tuesday that he needed reconstructive surgery.
Cincinnati-based Dr. Timothy E. Kremchek, who performed Volquez’s first operation when Volquez played with the Reds, will do so again Friday — eight years and one day after the first one, Aug. 3, 2009, to Aug. 4, 2017.
“He’s been through injuries before, but it’s hard to speculate when he’ll be back,” Hill said.
Volquez made it back to the majors after his first Tommy John surgery in about 11 1/2 months.
Hill noted that relievers sometimes return in less than a year.
“That might be something to look at as well,” Hill said. “I’m speculating. They need to get in there, look at it, fix it. He still has rehab ahead of him. So that’s unsure.”
The Marlins signed Volquez in part because of his history of sturdiness. His season ends after 92 1/3 innings — the first time since 2011 he didn’t reach the 170-inning mark.
In 17 starts, Volquez had a 4.19 ERA and 1.42 WHIP, both improvements from a down 2016 heading into his free agency. Volquez also saw improvements in his hits allowed per nine innings (down to 7.6 from 10.3) and strikeouts per nine innings (up to 7.9 from 6.6). But he walked more batters, too, 5.2 per nine innings after posting a rate of 3.6 last year.
His personal highlight was arguably the team’s top moment as well, a June 3 no-hitter against the Diamondbacks at Marlins Park.
“[Volquez is] very disappointed, as we all are,” Hill said. “We know what we brought him here to do.”
Riddle under the knife, too
For Riddle, surgery brings to an abrupt end what had been a solid rookie campaign.
Called up initially in early April and for good in early May due to injuries to Adeiny Hechavarria, Riddle hit .250 with a .282 OBP and .355 slugging percentage. He had three homers, 13 doubles and 31 RBI.
A strong showing during Hechavarria’s second DL stint made the Marlins confident enough in Riddle to trade Hechavarria to the Rays.
Riddle’s defense in particular was not much of a dropoff, if a dropoff at all, from what Hechavarria offered. Among National League shortstops, Riddle was tied for second (with the Nationals’ Wilmer Difo) with seven Defensive Runs Saved, according to FanGraphs.
Riddle’s season ends as a result of a mid-July slide at a ball hit up the middle. His shoulder had bothered him for weeks, but he didn’t bounce back from that slide the way he had in prior weeks.
Turns out, he had a SLAP tear of his labrum.
“We talked about tendinitis and all that stuff,” manager Don Mattingly said. “That dive was more than tendinitis. It’s past that.”
Bad news for Bour
First baseman Justin Bour‘s right oblique strain is worse the Marlins initially thought, and he won’t be back until early-to-mid-September — at the earliest.
Mattingly said it will be at least three weeks until Bour even begins to ramp up with baseball activities.
“Originally, we thought that was a regular old — I should say regular — but an oblique. He did some damage in there,” Mattingly said. “You’re probably talking more four to six [weeks]. I don’t know where that timetable puts us late.”
Wallach getting passed
Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman entered the week 905 career RBI, tied for a Nationals/Expos record. With one more, he will pass Marlins bench coach Tim Wallach — a Montreal star through the 1980s and into the ’90s — for most in franchise history.
“They all get broken sometime or another,” Wallach said of his record. “I respect the way he goes about it, the way he plays. I’ve always liked him as a player. Good guy, too. If somebody is going to do it, I’m glad it’s him.”
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thealey@sunsentinel.com; @timbhealey
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