Maryland pitcher Kyle McCoy undergoes Tommy John surgery, expected to miss next season

Maryland pitcher Kyle McCoy underwent Tommy John surgery Tuesday to reconstruct a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, he told Testudo Times. His expected recovery time is 12 months, meaning he is likely to miss the 2024 season.

McCoy, ranked the 17th-best left-handed pitcher in the class of 2022 by Perfect Game, was an All-Big Ten freshman team selection in 2023 after asserting himself as Maryland’s Sunday starter when healthy. In 15 appearances — 12 of which were starts — he threw 53 ¹⁄₃ innings with an ERA of 5.91, racking up 39 strikeouts. The Ringoes, New Jersey native also recorded a three-inning save in his collegiate debut against South Florida on Feb. 18.

McCoy said that he began experiencing elbow discomfort when he sprained his UCL as a senior in high school and it continued to get worse over time. He added that the discomfort disappeared as a college freshman until a flare-up in Maryland’s series against Purdue in late April.

The southpaw made two consecutive starts afterward, but was then scratched from the final two regular-season weekend series after an uncharacteristic performance against Nebraska, during which he gave up eight earned runs in just 2 ²⁄₃ innings pitched. McCoy returned to the mound 17 days later against Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament, but exited the game after recording just two outs with his pitch velocity lower than usual.

With McCoy, who threw the fourth-most innings on the team in 2023, likely sidelined, Maryland’s pitching staff faces major question marks ahead of the 2024 season. Starters Jason Savacool and Nick Dean both have the option to enter the MLB draft, potentially opening up all three weekend starting rotation slots from this past season. The other Maryland arms to make a start in 2023 were Ryan Van Buren (8 starts), Nate Haberthier (7), Kenny Lippman (3), Logan Ott (1) and Andrew Johnson (1).