Sean Doolittle to have season-ending UCL surgery

Washington Nationals pitcher Sean Doolittle. Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports

Nationals' Sean Doolittle to undergo season-ending surgery to repair UCL tear

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated Jul 15, 2022 6:47 PM ET

Washington Nationals veteran reliever Sean Doolittle will have season-ending surgery to repair a UCL tear in his elbow.

The 35-year-old will undergo an internal brace procedure to repair the UCL tear. The expected rehab time for Doolittle is five to six months, putting him on track to be ready for spring training.

Sean Doolittle will have an internal brace procedure to repair his left UCL injury, time frame 5-6 months. His goal is to be ready for Spring Training.
— Jessica Camerato (@JessicaCamerato) July 15, 2022

Doolittle had been out of action since April with a sprained elbow ligament. On Thursday, Doolittle saw a doctor after reporting soreness during a recent bullpen session, ultimately leading to the decision to have the procedure.

"There's too much instability being caused by the UCL not being healed enough, not being strong enough," Doolittle said on Friday. "At this point, I want to go in and get it fixed. I want to get to the root cause of it and get it taken care of."

This season, Doolittle made six appearances for the Nationals, allowing just one hit over 5.1 innings.

The two-time All-Star returned to Washington ahead of the 2022 season, signing as a free agent. Doolittle spent three seasons with the Nationals from 2018 to 2020, winning a World Series with Washington in 2019.

An 11-year veteran, Doolittle has pitched for the Oakland Athletics, Nationals, Cincinnati Reds and Seattle Mariners.

Over 463 career MLB games, Doolittle has a record of 26-24 with 112 saves and a 3.20 ERA.

Mike Santa Barbara

Mike Santa Barbara is a Wilmington, Delaware native (Yes, it's a real place) with over a decade of sports writing experience. A diehard Philadelphia sports fan, he has two dogs named after Flyers and cried real tears when the Eagles won Super Bowl LII. You can follow him on Twitter at @mike__sb

More must-reads: