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Rays reliever Nick Anderson, formerly the team’s closer, has struggled with injury and recovery for more than a year. After not being able to recover through rehabilitation in time for the 2021 playoffs, he has now elected for UCL brace surgery.
#Rays reliever Nick Anderson underwent elbow surgery, having a UCL brace procedure, and is not expected to pitch in games again until after 2022 All-Star break
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) October 28, 2021
Anderson appears to be the 26th major league pitcher to opt for UCL brace surgery, following Kenta Maeda and Eli White who received the procedure in September 2021. Other previous recipients include former Rays starter Rich Hill (Oct 2019). You can review a full list at MLB Player Analysis’s tracking spreadsheet.
UCL brace surgery is a more recent development, and uses a bracing mechanism to avoid full reconstruction of the ulnar collateral ligament, a triangle-shaped stabilizing ligament of the elbow. You can learn more about the procedure at Stack or Vice, or in video format from a leading physician performing the procedure: