Tim Collins undergoes Tommy John surgery, will miss entire season

Tim Collins underwent Tommy John surgery, according to beat writer Andy McCullough. He will miss the entire 2015 season. Collins left his first spring training outing last week after just a few hitters, complaining of discomfort. An MRI revealed ligament damage, and a second opinion today confirmed that diagnosis. Damage to the ulnar collateral ligament typically requires Tommy John surgery, with a player missing, on average, 12-15 months of action.

Royals reliever Luke Hochevar missed all of the 2014 season with Tommy John surgery, and free agent pitcher Kris Medlen is recovering from Tommy John surgery as well. The Royals have had numerous Tommy John surgeries the last few seasons, with pitchers like Danny Duffy, John Lamb, Felipe Paulino, and Blake Wood going under the knife in addition to Hochevar.

Collins is owed $1.475 million this year and was trying to recover from a rough season in 2014 where he was demoted to Omaha much of the year. He had the inside track as the left-handed reliever in the pen, but that role will now be up for grabs among Brian Flynn, Brandon Finnega, and non-roster invitees like Franklin Morales and Joe Paterson.