MESA, Ariz. -- Twelve pitches into his comeback attempt, Oakland's Jarrod Parker broke his elbow once again.
The Athletics said Friday that an MRI showed the right-hander had broken the medial epicondyle in his right elbow.
"I spent the morning with him. It's tough,'' manager Bob Melvin said. "The guy's fought so many times to put himself back in position. We're talking about an elite guy to go through this as many times as he can says a lot about his tenacity. It is another huge setback for him."
Teammates rallied to show their support for Parker on Twitter.
Devastated for you Park. Praying hard for you brother. You are stronger than all of us.
— Stephen Vogt (@SVogt1229) March 11, 2016
My heart goes out to you bro. I saw how hard you worked and I know how bad you want it. We're still with you man 👊🏻 https://t.co/xV1rW8D8tV
— Sean Doolittle (@whatwouldDOOdo) March 11, 2016
The 27-year-old, selected by Arizona in the first round of the 2007 amateur draft, has not pitched in the major leagues since the 2013 AL Division Series.
He had Tommy John surgery on Oct. 28, 2009, and again on March 24, 2014. He first broke his elbow on May 8 last year while pitching for Triple-A Nashville during an injury rehabilitation assignment.
Parker has a 25-16 record in parts of three seasons and once went a team-record 19 straight games without a loss.
"We're all sad,'' fellow pitcher Chris Bassitt said. "The entire organization is pretty sad. Honestly, the baseball community is definitely sick about it, the fourth one in 2½ years. It's absolutely ridiculous to even fathom that."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
