Phillies' Buchholz having surgery Tuesday, could miss five months

April 18 (UPI) -- Right-handed pitcher Clay Buchholz will go under the knife Tuesday to repair a partial tear in his flexor pronator mass.

An unnamed source told Barstool Sports that the Philadelphia Phillies' starter will need about three to five months to recover from the surgery.

Buccholz attained the injury on April 11 when he was pitching against the Miami Marlins. He was diagnosed with the right arm injury last week. He missed the last 2 ½ months of the 2015 season with a similar ailment.

The Phillies now have a hole in the No. 3 spot in its rotation.

"We've got five starters in Triple-A Lehigh Valley that any one of them can come fill in," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin told MLB.com.

The two-time All-Star was 0-1 with a 12.27 ERA and five strikeouts in 7.1 innings this season. He is playing on a $13.5 million club option and is a free agent in 2018.

Buccholz arrived in Philadelphia in December after a trade with the Boston Red Sox for minor-leaguer Josh Tobias.