ST. LOUIS, May 7 (UPI) -- St. Louis Cardinals closer Jason Motte indicated Tuesday he has undergone successful elbow ligament replacement surgery.
Motte wrote on his Twitter account the "Tommy John" procedure "went well. One day closer to getting back out there then yesterday."
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, citing an unnamed team official, reported Motte underwent the procedure at St. Louis' Mercy Hospital in an operation performed by Dr. George Paletta.
He is expected to miss a full year.
The right-hander has been out of the lineup since spring training when he was idled with what was initially diagnosed as an elbow sprain.
Motte, 30, racked up 42 saves last season, tying for the most in the National League, while recording a 2.75 ERA with 86 strikeouts over 72 innings.
The performance earned him a two-year, $12 million contract in the off-season.
Over his four-year career, he has gone 17-13 with a 2.87 ERA and 54 saves over 282 career appearances.
