Roenis Elias Done For The Year

According to Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, Roenis Elias is done for the year with “flexor bundle tightness in his left elbow.” It’s hard to see a promising pitcher end his season with an injury.

The Mariners surely wouldn’t be where they are in the standings if it wasn’t for Elias. In his first year in the majors Elias posted a 10-12 record with a 3.89 ERA in 163 and 2/3 innings pitched. He had 143 strikes with 60 walks, gave up 70 runs and 16 home runs.

I for one, was rooting for Elias right from the get go, hearing about a kid who defected from Cuba for a chance to play in the majors is just something that I was drawn to personally. I saw the struggles of Blake Beavan last year making the jump from AA to the Majors so of course i was hesitant to think Elias was going to be good, boy was I wrong.

When I saw that Elias was leaving the game with elbow stiffness I was instantly concerned. Stephen Strasburg was shut down his first full major season after 159 innings. For young guys like Elias and Strasburg in 2012, innings are watched and monitored.

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I personally thought that Elias should have been shut down 2 or 3 games ago and not that he has been hurt my heart is heavy for him. Elbow injuries for baseball players are something you never want to mess with. Here is to hoping that Elias’ injury isn’t as serious as it can be and that he is ready for spring training.

As for now, let’s hope who ever replaces him, whether it be Taijuan Walker, or Tom Wilhelmsen or whoever steps in and continues to do what Elias provided through out the season, a young pitcher with the composure of a veteran.