Cory Luebke has quietly been very good in his big-league career, but his chances of getting back to that level of success took a big hit on Tuesday.
San Diego Padres pitcher Cory Luebke will miss his second consecutive season after an MRI showed that he'll likely need a second surgery on his throwing elbow, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock.
Luebke, 28, was off to a solid start in 2012 before undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery in May of that year. The left-hander suffered a setback while rehabbing from the injury late in 2013 but was expected to compete for a spot in the Friars' 25-man roster before the MRI revealed additional damage, per Brock.
Luebke struck out nearly 10 batters per nine innings during a breakout 2011 campaign in which he posted a 3.29 ERA in 139⅔ innings. His ERA sat at 2.61 after five starts the next season before being shut down in late-April.
The Padres owe Luebke $8.25 million over the next two seasons and have only received 31 innings from the southpaw after signing him to a four-year, $12 million deal prior to the 2012 season.
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