Nationals manager Dave Martinez confirmed that Herz (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday in Dallas, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

TalkNats.com was first to report earlier Wednesday that Herz had decided to undergo the season-ending procedure, though it wasn't immediately clear when the surgery would take place. Rather than scheduling surgery for a later date, Herz elected to have the operation performed by renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister, whom he had recently visited for a second opinion on the partially torn UCL in his left elbow. Martinez noted that Herz's surgery didn't involve the insertion of an internal brace, so he'll likely be in line for a 14-to-18-month rehab process rather than a 12- or 13-month recovery. The 24-year-old is thus unlikely to be ready to contribute for the Nationals until around the middle of the 2026 season.

Herz (elbow) plans to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery, TalkNats.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

After being diagnosed with a partial UCL sprain in his left elbow shortly before Opening Day, Herz was shut down for three weeks with the hope that some extended rest and rehab would allow him to pitch through the injury. Ultimately, after receiving two additional medical opinions on his elbow, Herz has decided that surgery is his best option. Herz will likely go under the knife in the coming days, and assuming no other additional damage is detected during surgery beyond the compromised UCL, he should be able to pitch again at some point around the All-Star break next season.

Herz will receive a second opinion on his injured left elbow from Dr. Keith Meister in Dallas, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Herz has been diagnosed with a sprained UCL, and he will determine after his visit with Dr. Meister whether to undergo surgery or attempt to rest and rehab the injury. If the southpaw does go under the knife, he could be sidelined until around the middle of next season.

The Nationals transferred Herz (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

Herz was diagnosed with a sprained UCL in his left elbow Tuesday, which typically leads to season-ending surgery. The 24-year-old southpaw may attempt to rehab the injury before resorting to surgery, but he's due for an extended absence either way. He'll cede his spot on the 40-man roster to right-hander Brad Lord, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Rochester.

Herz has been diagnosed with a left elbow UCL sprain, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

Herz's velocity was down this spring, which originally attributed to a "dead arm" phase. However, as it turns out, he's dealing with an injury that often requires season-ending UCL surgery, although it's not yet clear whether Herz might try the rest-and-rehab route first. At minimum, the lefty is likely to be out a few months, and in all likelihood, much longer.

Herz was placed on the 15-day injured list Monday due to an undisclosed injury, per MLB's transactions log.

EDGE Analysis

The team failed to mention that Herz was dealing with an injury prior to optioning him to Triple-A Rochester on Friday, so this transaction is a bit curious. Washington will presumably have more details on the nature of the 24-year-old's injury in the near future.

The Nationals optioned Herz to Triple-A Rochester on Friday.

EDGE Analysis

Herz will miss the cut for Washington's Opening Day rotation and wrap up Grapefruit League play with nine runs allowed (seven earned) over 9.2 innings. The 24-year-old southpaw posted a 4.16 ERA across 19 starts with the big club last season, and if he's able to return to form in Triple-A, he could rejoin the Nationals at some point this summer.

Herz appears to be on the outside looking in for a spot in the Nationals' Opening Day rotation, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

EDGE Analysis

Mitchell Parker seems on track to claim the fifth starter role behind MacKenzie Gore, Jake Irvin, Trevor Williams and Michael Soroka. Herz tinkered with his mechanics this offseason, and the results this spring haven't been pretty, as he's walked nine batters in 9.2 Grapefruit League innings while recording only four strikeouts. The 24-year-old lefty may need some time at Triple-A to regain the form that saw him rack up a 27.7 percent strikeout rate against a 9.4 percent walk rate over his first 88.2 big-league innings in 2024.

Herz gave up four runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk over 3.1 innings during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Cardinals. He struck out one.

EDGE Analysis

While his defense did him no favors -- Jacob Young in center field was the only likely Opening Day starter on the diamond behind him -- Herz also wasn't sharp, something that has been the story of his spring so far. The 24-year-old southpaw tweaked his mechanics this offseason, and he may still be getting comfortable with his new delivery. Through 6.2 innings this spring, Herz has stumbled to an 8.10 ERA and 3:7 K:BB. He still appears set for a spot in the Opening Day rotation, particularly if Mitchell Parker (neck) ends up on the shelf, but a good spring outing or two before camp breaks would go a long way toward reassuring fantasy investors that Herz's promising rookie campaign in 2024 wasn't a mirage.

Herz focused on adding strength and cutting out unneeded movement in his pitching mechanics this offseason, leaving him optimistic that he'll be able to build off a promising rookie season in 2025, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports. "Everything's in the zone, everything's where you want it. And it's cool to see that all of my bullpens have been like that so far," Herz said Saturday, after his first official bullpen session of spring training. "Now it's time to translate to the game."

EDGE Analysis

After some early struggles upon his initial call-up to the big leagues in early June, Herz settled in nicely following the All-Star break and was arguably performing as Washington's best starter by season's end. Altogether, Herz turned in a 4.16 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 106:36 K:BB in 88.2 innings with the big club, but he'll still have to fight for a back-end rotation spot throughout spring training. Herz displayed a well-developed fastball and changeup as a rookie, but honing the command of his breaking pitches this spring will likely be essential if he's to break camp with the big club. The young southpaw believes the mechanical tweaks he's implemented will help him find the strike zone more consistently while continuing to make bats miss at a steady clip. Specifically, Herz has cleaned up his delivery from the windup and eliminated an unnecessary backward step he had been taking last season, resulting in a smoother operation.