Padres right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery yesterday, per . The righty will mi s the remainder of 2024 and some part of 2025 as well. Patio, 24, began the season on the 15-day injured list due to elbow inflammation. It seems that subsequent testing revealed the need for surgery. Given the typical 14-18 month recovery range for Tommy John procedures, he will mi s the remainder of this year and a significant chunk of 2025 as well. Its yet another setback for a pitcher who was once a top prospect. Patio came up as a Padres prospect and was on Baseball Americas top 100 list in three straight years from 2019 to 2021, being in the top 25 in the latter two. He had a 2.35 earned run average in 234 innings in the minors from 2017 to 2019, striking out 29.4% of batters faced while walking just 8.4%. The Friars called him up in 2020 and he posted a 5.19 ERA in 17 1/3 innings, though he was only 20 years old at that time. Going into 2021, he was traded to the Rays as part of the deal, going to Tampa alongside , and . He to sed 77 1/3 innings in his first season for the Rays, with a 4.31 Devonta'e Henry-Cole Jersey ERA in that time. His 22.2% strikeout rate and 8.7% walk rate were fairly average, but not a bad outcome for a pitcher who was only 21 years old and in his first extended look at the big leagues. But in 2022, an oblique strain cost him more than three months. He was only able to pitch 20 innings on the year and had a bloated ERA of 8.10 in that time. Last year, he was kept mostly in the minors and showcased significant command woes. In 45 1/3 innings for Triple-A Durham, he walked 13.4% of batters and posted a 6.75 ERA. He went to the White Sox in a cash deal just before the trade deadline and his struggles continued. His 17 2/3 innings in the majors were pa sable, with a 3.57 ERA. But in 14 1/3 Triple-A innings after the deal, he walked a ma sive 20.3% of batters faced. He exhausted his final option year and the Sox designated him for a signment in December. The Padres claimed him off waivers, bringing him back to his original organization. Unfortunately, hes now facing a significant layoff as he recovers from his surgery. Amid all of these twists and turns, its easy to forget that Patio is still incredibly young. Though hes bounced around the league for years and is now out of options, hes younger than some top prospects who havent even made it to the big leagues yet, such as or . He still has time to get himself back on track, though he obviously has a long recovery ahead of him now. If theres a silver lining in this for Patio, its that hes already on the major league injured list. Hell eventually be transferred to the 60-day variety whenever the Padres need his roster spot, collecting big league pay and service time for the whole year. Hell cro s the three-year service mark this season and will be eligible for arbitration this winter, though hell be a non-tender candidate given his health status. UCF Knights Jersey