Last offseason the Los Angeles Dodgers completed a trade with the Oakland Athletics to acquire outfielder Brett Eibner. He was a second-round pick of the Royals in 2010 out of the University of Arkansas, where Eibner played the outfield and pitched.
Up until this season Eibner had only played outfield during his professional career, but that changed in May when the Dodgers began to evaluate the right-hander as a potential relief pitcher.
There was a pause in Eibner’s throwing program last month as he was bothered by shoulder soreness and temporarily shut down. Now, the 28-year-old will not return in any capacity this season.
According to J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group, Eibner underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow:
Brett Eibner had Tommy John surgery today. His season is over.
— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) August 1, 2017
Eibner had been back-and-forth between the big league club and Triple-A Oklahoma City a few times this season. Although he never pitched in a game, Eibner threw multiple bullpen sessions that left Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt intrigued.
In 17 games with the Dodgers this season, Eibner hit .182/.250/.364 with two home runs and six RBIs. In 37 games with OKC he batted .231/.289/.385 with four home runs and 14 RBIs.
When Eibner returns from the injury it is unclear if the organization will continue their pitching experiment, or let him return to focusing on playing the outfield.
If Eibner is not going to return to the mound, then his recovery from the surgery may be shorter. Though, the Dodgers have historically erred on the side of caution with such matters.
