New York Yankees' Scott Effross will miss the remainder of playoffs due to Tommy John Surgery

The New York Yankees bullpen has taken another hit as relief pitcher Scott Effross is set to undergo Tommy John Surgery. The news of Effross' procedure comes at a time when the Yankees are already without several notable arms in the bullpen. Effross joins Aroldis Chapman, Zack Britton, Chad Green, Michael King, and Ron Marinaccio as relief pitchers who will be unavailable for the series against the Guardians.

"The #Yankees begin the postseason without each of these relievers: Michael King, Chad Green, Scott Effross, Ron Marinaccio, Aroldis Chapman, and Zack Britton. If Clay Holmes, Jonathan Loáisiga, Wandy Peralta, Lou Trivino and more don't step up, this team is in trouble..." - Max Goodman

Effross' Tommy John Surgery will sideline him for the remainder of the season, and more than likely all of next season as well. The recovery timeline from Tommy John Surgery is roughly one year of recovery. In some cases, it may take up to two years to reach their former level of ability.

What is Tommy John Surgery?

Tommy John repairs an athlete's injured UCL (Ulnar Collateral Ligament). The surgery was named after former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tommy John, who became the first player to undergo the procedure. The surgery is also known as UCL reconstruction.

"Fox says Dodgers star Walker Buehler, recovering from Tommy John surgery, will be a guest analyst during NLDS coverage." - Bill Shaikin

During the procedure, the surgeon replaces the injured UCL with a tendon taken from somewhere else in the patient's body. This can be obtained from either an extra tendon in the patient's forearm or from one of the hamstring tendons.

Successful recovery from Tommy John

Though the recovery process has been a long and arduous journey, recent techniques have helped players recover faster and return stronger than in the past. The new procedure involves repairing the patient's own ligament, allowing their own ligament to serve as their new ligament going forward. It has a much quicker recovery and can get pitchers back to play in six months.

"Just want to take a second to appreciate Tyler Glasnow. A year ago the guy was wearing a cast (or whatever they wear). Today he pitched five shutout innings. 2 weak hits. No walks. No runner in scoring position." - SeaRaysBay

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow is an example of a pitcher coming back from Tommy John Surgery and having success. Though he will have to wait until he can pitch again, the outlook for Scott Effross is optimistic.