Seth Lugo diagnosed with a slight tear of his UCL

Yesterday, Mets manager Terry Collins said pitcher Seth Lugo would miss “a few weeks” with a right elbow injury. He saw a doctor on Tuesday for a second opinion and was diagnosed with a slight tear of his UCL, Marc Carig of Newsday reports. Lugo’s medicals will now be reviewed by Dr. James Andrews, per Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

Fortunately for Lugo and the Mets, the right-hander doesn’t need to undergo surgery. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection and will rest for a while. According to Carig, there is some thought that Lugo was initially injured at some point during the World Baseball Classic.

Lugo had been competing for a spot in the Mets’ rotation, but the elbow began bothering him towards the end of spring training. As a result, the final two rotation spots when to Robert Gsellman and Zack Wheeler. The Mets, however, are suddenly in need of starting pitching depth with Lugo and Steven Matz sidelined. Carig suggests the Lugo injury may be enough to motivate the Mets to address the depth issue.