The Kansas City Royals announced today that right-handed pitcher Luke Hochevar will have surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), also known as “Tommy John surgery,” in the coming weeks, while right-handed pitcher Brad Penny has been released from his minor league contract.
Hochevar, 30, went 5-2 with a 1.92 ERA and two saves in 58 relief appearances for the Royals last season. He ranked third in the American League in opponents’ batting average (.169) and sixth in ERA among pitchers with at least 60.0 innings during the 2013 season. Hochevar is 43-61 with a career 5.10 ERA in 190 games (128 starts) for Kansas City during his seven-year big league career.
Penny, 35, signed with the Royals as a minor league free agent on January 16, 2014, and has made two appearances this spring, most recently allowing four runs on eight hits in 2.0 innings of work yesterday vs. the White Sox.
