Foster Griffin confirms he had Tommy John Surgery

Only 23 pitches into his Major League debut on July 27, left-handed pitcher Foster Griffin was pulled from the game with an apparent arm issue.

While the Royals have not said so via their official site or Twitter account, Griffin posted on his own Twitter account and Instagram Stories that he had Tommy John surgery last Tuesday with Dr. Neal ElAttrache.

ElAttrache has been a go-to surgeon for Tommy John surgery in recent years, with recent patients including Chris Sale this March, and Kansas City’s own Salvador Perez last year.

In addition to his Major League debut and the date of this major injury, July 27 was also Griffin’s 25th birthday. The Florida native has been with the Royals organization since Kansas City drafted him out of high school in the 1st round in 2014.

Griffin pitched all of 2019 with the Omaha Storm Chasers, tossing 130 ²⁄₃ innings over 25 starts. He then went on to pitch for the Tigres del Licey in the Dominican Winter League, with 23 ¹⁄₃ innings in six games (five starts). His 2019 workload was in line with his innings over the previous two seasons.