Washington Nationals right-hander Joe Ross will miss the rest of the season but won't need surgery for his partially torn ulnar collateral ligament at this time, manager Dave Martinez said Tuesday.
Instead, Ross will rest his injury and "go through some extensive rehab" with the hope he can return to pitch in the spring, Martinez said.
Ross was examined by Dr. Keith Meister, who performed Ross' Tommy John surgery in 2017.
Ross had felt tightness in his right forearm after a bullpen session on Saturday and had an MRI that showed the partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament. The Nationals sent Ross to Meister to determine whether a second Tommy John surgery was required. He was placed on the injured list Sunday.
"Of course, he's not going to be happy because he wanted to continue to pitch, but I think that's great news," Martinez told reporters, according to MASN Sports. "We'll get him the rest that he needs and then get him back on the mound as soon as we can. But I don't expect him at this point to pitch any more this year. We want to make sure he's completely healthy, and he's ready to go in spring training."
Ross has been the Nationals' most consistent starter this season apart from Max Scherzer, who was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the deadline. The 28-year-old Ross is 5-9 with a 4.17 ERA in 20 starts, with career highs in innings pitched (108) and strikeouts (109) in 20 games (19 starts).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.