When DJ Herz fell on UCL’s sprain in late March, he feared he would need to undergo Tommy John’s surgery. Based on Report And his reaction seems to be where we are heading. Hertz tweeted that after Talknats’ report said the same thing, it greatly hinted that he would go under the knife.
DJ Herz was a breakout pick for many people, including myself. He showed a flash of domination last year in 88.2 MLB innings. Strike out 106 batters. He seemed to be a big starter for NATS based on that.
However, red flags began to appear in spring training. On his outings he slowed down and his control was everywhere. By the end of camp it was clear that he had missed the NAT to begin spinning.
It was later known that Hertz was dealing with “dead arms,” and eventually became a UCL stock. It seemed inevitable that Hertz would have to undergo Tommy John’s surgery.
Hertz will take action for at least a year and need to accumulate from it. It will be a long and laborious process for a Southpaw. If things are planned, he should one day return during the 2026 All-Star break. But, as we’ve seen with people like Cade Cavalli, this is a difficult injury to bounce back.
Hertz is a very exciting young arm and hopefully he can come back more than ever. I’ve seen many pitchers look just as good as they’re coming back after this surgery. Hopefully the DJ is the next guy to do it.
