What the Kansas City Royals are saying following Asa Lacy’s Tommy John surgery

Kansas City Royals prospect Asa Lacy will be sidelined for the entire 2024 season. On Tuesday, he announced he’d undergone Tommy John surgery.

The 24-year-old pitcher — a former No. 4 overall MLB Draft pick — was treated by the renowned Dr. Neal ElAttrache. The surgery consisted of a full reconstruction of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in Lacy’s left elbow.

“Not how I thought 2024 was going to go, but God has a plan for all of us,” Lacy wrote in an Instagram post. “Thank you for all who reached out with the encouraging words and prayers. The love and belief in me from ya’ll has not gone unnoticed.”

Lacy has dealt with adversity throughout his career. The Royals selected him with the fourth pick in the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft. He received a $6.67 million signing bonus after signing with the club.

Lacy, who starred at Texas A&M, was once considered a top prospect. But a back injury has hampered his professional career.

In four years with the Royals organization, Lacy has logged just 80 minor-league innings. His career began with High-A Quad Cities, where he posted a 5.19 ERA in 14 starts.

The Royals promoted Lacy to Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2022, but the back issues persisted. He had an 11.25 ERA in 20 innings pitched.

That led to Lacy being sent back to rookie ball. He allowed 10 runs in four games while pitching for the Arizona Complex League (ACL) Royals.

Then, in 2023, Lacy didn’t pitch at all.

“Any player that deals with injuries, it’s not fun ...” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “I’ve never gotten to see him pitch live, but as far as I know, he’s had back issues and all kinds of things.

“His career has been hampered by injuries and that really hasn’t gotten off the ground. So, that’s really hard for him, I’m sure, and his family. You know, he is in good hands here with the medical team and all that. Hopefully, he can come out on the other side of it.”

Lacy was finally making progress this spring. He’d pitched in a limited fashion before the injury occurred. He was throwing bullpen sessions and live batting practice.

The Royals were concerned about his elbow, however. Lacy injured the elbow 7-10 days ago, per Royals general manager J.J. Picollo. He got a second opinion and then proceeded to have Tommy John surgery.

“We gave it some time and then tried to conservatively see how it felt,” Picollo said. “But it didn’t bounce back.”

The Royals hope Lacy can recover in time for a mid-season return in 2025. Picollo said Lacy has no plans to stop pitching.

“He’s a competitor,” Picollo said. “This isn’t the end of the road for him. He’s going to want to get back.”

Lacy is thankful for the support and wants to be back alongside his teammates next season.

“My passion and love for this game has never been stronger,” Lacy said in the Instagram post. “Best of luck to all my teammates in 2024. I’ll see ya’ll on the mound in 2025.”