ARLINGTON, Texas, July 31 (UPI) -- Texas Rangers pitcher Neftali Feliz will miss the rest of the season after undergoing elbow ligament replacement surgery, the team said Tuesday.
Feliz, 24, won the 2010 American League Rookie of the Year award as the Rangers' closer and was moved into the starting rotation at the beginning of the season.
But after going 3-1 with a 3.16 ERA in eight games with 37 strikeouts and 23 walks, he was placed on the disabled list May 21 with elbow soreness.
A minor-league rehab start scheduled for the weekend was canceled and a subsequent examination revealed a torn ligament in the right-hander's throwing elbow.
He will undergo "Tommy John" surgery performed by Rangers team physician Dr. Keith Meister, General Manager Jon Daniels said.
"It's a blow for him and for the club," he told ESPN. "Doctors feel he should be a perfect candidate to have a 100 percent recovery and be back at some point next summer assuming all goes well."
