Oregon State pitcher Dax Whitney will miss the season due to UCL surgery. The surgery, commonly known as Tommy John surgery, typically requires 12 to 16 months of rehabilitation.
Oregon State ace pitcher Dax Whitney is undergoing season-ending UCL surgery.
Whitney, a sophomore, left the Beavers' April 24 contest against Hawaii after six innings due to tightness in the right elbow. On April 30, Oregon State announced that Whitney would not be on the mound for his typical Friday start May 1 against CSUN.
Whitney's surgery status was first reported May 1 by ESPN's Kiley McDaniel on social media.
Ulnar collateral ligament surgery, commonly known as Tommy John surgery, is increasingly common among high-end pitchers and has a typical rehabilitation period of 12 to 16 months, according to the National Library of Medicine.
Over a thousand professional pitchers have undergone the surgery since it was first performed on the Los Angeles Dodgers' Tommy John in 1974. In 2023, nearly one-third of all active Major League Baseball's pitchers had experienced the operation, according to the American Medical Association.
Whitney's surgery will be performed by Dr. Keith Meister, an orthopedic surgeon out of Texas, McDaniel reported.
Oregon State fans cheer on Dax Whitney as he exits the field during an NCAA college baseball game at Goss Stadium on Friday, March 6, 2026, in Corvallis, Ore.
Whitney is widely regarded as the top prospect of the 2027 MLB Draft and has been among the most impactful pitchers in the country this season.
In 63 innings pitched, Whitney is among the top 10 nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (14.86) and earned run average for pitchers with more than 60 innings (2.00). He's second in the nation in strikeouts (104), too.
UCL surgery, or Tommy John surgery, is performed to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow, which Whitney needs after experiencing tightness during a game.
The typical rehabilitation period for Tommy John surgery is 12 to 16 months.
Tommy John surgery is increasingly common, with nearly one-third of active MLB pitchers having undergone the procedure in 2023.
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Whitney boasts a 6-1 record and 2.00 earned-run average and hasn't allowed more than six hits in a game this season.
The 20-year-old Idaho native was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List, numerous midseason pitcher of the year watch lists and prior to his injury was a leading candidate for several all-American accolades.
Landon Bartlett covers Oregon State University and high school athletics for the Statesman Journal. He can be reached at LBartlett@statesmanjournal.com or on X, TikTok or Instagram @bartlelo.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon State ace Dax Whitney reportedly out for season