Reds right-hander Art Warren recently underwent a surgery to fix some UCL damage in his throwing elbow, manager David Bell told reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon). The procedure wasn’t a Tommy John surgery, as Bell noted that it didn’t involve ligament replacement.
While Warren has seemingly avoided the worst-case scenario of a TJ surgery, it isn’t yet known when he might return to the mound, or if his readiness for the start of Spring Training or even Opening Day 2023 is now in question. Warren was placed on the Triple-A injured list earlier this week, and he spent over six weeks on the Reds’ IL earlier this season due to a right flexor pronator strain.
Between these injuries and an oblique strain that resulted in a 60-day IL stint in 2021, Warren has had trouble staying healthy since being acquired by the Reds in January 2021. The right-hander did post a 1.29 ERA over 21 innings in 2021, but his ERA (6.50), strikeout rate (24.2%) and walk rate (13.3%) were all much worse over his 36 frames of work this season.
Cincinnati was set to give Warren a look at closer heading into the season, but his struggles and injuries cost him any chance of locking down a substantial late-game role. Unless the Reds simply don’t trust Warren’s health, it’s likely that the 29-year-old and local product will get another shot in the bullpen mix next season. Since Warren isn’t arbitration-eligible until the 2024-25 offseason, there isn’t any real financial cost to the Reds in giving Warren another look. Because he was in the minor leagues at the time of his injury, Warren won’t accumulate any MLB service time while he recovers.
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