Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Drew Smyly has a torn labrum in his pitching shoulder and likely needs season-ending surgery, according to a report by the Tampa Bay Times.
Smyly, who currently is on the disabled list with what the Rays have described as shoulder stiffness, is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday.
"Any time it's [your] shoulder, it's scary," Smyly told reporters Saturday. "You've just got to be positive, but obviously I'm not good enough to pitch right now."
"Obviously, some negative news on Drew," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "We're still in the process of evaluating exactly what the issue is."
Smyly missed most of April due to tendinitis in his shoulder but has pitched well since returning to Tampa Bay's rotation, posting a 2.70 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings over three starts. He said he started noticing renewed stiffness in his shoulder during his most recent start Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox.
"I started feeling it in Boston, and just kind of kept pitching through it," he told reporters. "The next day, it didn't respond well. ... It was definitely getting tight and stiffening up. And it didn't feel loose, it didn't feel smooth."
Smyly has pitched well for Tampa Bay since being acquired in the blockbuster trade that sent David Price to the Tigers last season, posting a 1.96 ERA in 10 starts with the Rays.
The loss of Smyly would further deplete and the Rays' injury-plagued rotation. Ace Alex Cobb announced Friday that he will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery to repair a "significant" tear in his elbow, and left-hander Matt Moore is recovering from 2014 elbow surgery.