Dodgers' Chad Billingsly Tears Elbow Tendon, Unsure About Immediate Future

The burley righty is still holding out hope to return this year, but the chances are slim

Chad Billingsley’s 2014 season is likely over before the Dodgers starter can even get it started.

On pitching this year, the right-hander told reporters Saturday at Dodger Stadium that the chances are "very, very, very slim," after an MRI Thursday revealed a partial tear of his right flexor tendon.

The 29-year-old says he hasn’t decided yet if he’ll have surgery to repair the tendon. He told Ken Gurnick of MLB.com that his other option is to get a stem-cell injection and try to rehab the elbow.

Billingsley’s had trouble maintaining progress in his recovery from Tommy John surgery last year. In April, he got tendinitis in the elbow and needed a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection.

And, this latest devastating news comes as he had a rough minor league outing June 8, when he reached his 30 pitch limit in only 1 2/3 innings or a rehab start. In that game he also walked three batters and hit another.

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It’s bad timing for Billingsley, who’s in the last year of a three-year contract with the Dodgers. There is a club option for 2015.

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