According to various sources, Tennessee right-hander AJ Russell has been shut down for the season and will have Tommy John surgery. Russell was declared out of the NCAA Tournament last weekend during the Super Regionals, and he will now officially miss the rest of it.
The recovery time from surgery is approximately one year, thus his availability for next season is now in doubt. Keep in mind that Russell is rated as a top MLB prospect for 2025.
Russell last appeared in the SEC Tournament, where he pitched an inning apiece against Vanderbilt and LSU. Russell appeared to reaggravate his elbow during the championship game versus LSU.
Russell was expected to be Tennessee’s primary starter this season, but a string of injuries hampered his progress. The sophomore righty is coming off a terrific freshman season in which he posted an ERA of 0.89 over 30 innings pitched. Russell was expected to play a larger role as a starter this year, but he only made six appearances and worked 14.1 innings. He finishes with an ERA of 5.02.
“Nothing specific as far as what the next step will be for him, but he’ll be unavailable,” Tony Vitello said last week. “So, for the time being, it’s coach Russell or coach AJ, similar to what Billy did for a few weeks.
“He’s still active in practice and such right now, but he’s taken on a role in the dugout where he performs other chores, and I enjoyed being around him. So, for the time being, that is his responsibility, and we’ll see where we go, but we’ll most likely be shut down for the year.”
Tennessee continues on without Russell, as it has for the majority of the year. The Volunteers will face Florida State in the College World Series opener on Friday night.
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