ST. LOUIS -- Cardinals right-hander Lance Lynn has had Tommy John surgery and will be sidelined all of next season.
St. Louis said the 28-year-old Lynn had the surprise surgery Tuesday. The operation repaired a torn ulnar collateral ligament while having the ulnar nerve transposed and bone chips removed. The 28-year-old Lynn missed a couple of starts in June with a forearm strain.
Lynn's health was not mentioned by the Cardinals at their season-ending news conference.
Lynn was 12-11 with a 3.03 ERA last season. He was an All-Star in 2012 and has three straight seasons of 30 or more starts. He's among 16 pitchers to work 175 or more innings each of the last four years.
The loss of Lynn is the latest blow to the NL Central champion Cardinals' pitching depth.
Talented youngster Carlos Martinez was shut down at the end of the season with a shoulder strain. John Lackey is a free agent and Adam Wainwright made only a handful of relief appearances at the end of the regular season and in the division series in his comeback from an Achilles injury.
Top pitching prospect Alex Reyes was suspended Monday 50 games for testing positive for a drug of abuse.
