San Diego Padres’ Alex Dickerson Will Miss Entire 2018 Season

As has been expected for some time now, the San Diego Padres will be without outfielder, Alex Dickerson for the entire 2018 season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery on his throwing arm.

Alex Dickerson just can’t seem to catch a break. The San Diego Padres expect him to be out until at least Spring Training 2019 as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

Dickerson, 27, missed all of last season after surgery to remove material from bulging discs in his back. Knowing that his elbow would at one point need attention as well, they saw now a good a time as ever to get the procedure done, apparently.

After clawing his way to the highest level of professional baseball with plans on staying there in 2016, and performing well at that, injuries have yet again slowed his continuing development down to a crawl.

In 253 at-bats in his rookie season, Dickerson hit .257 with a .788 OPS, ten home runs, 37 RBI, 16 doubles, and a hefty .333 on-base percentage. His ceiling seemed to keep rising as he got more comfortable with MLB pitching.

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Padres hope to see Dickerson back in time for ST ’19

Manager Andy Green, in an article from Kevin Acee in The San Diego Union-Tribune, was asked in February about Dickerson’s approach and obvious patience at the plate and said that it was, “something unlike we have at the big league level.”

That’s pretty high praise for a hitter with just a touch over 260 MLB at-bats. Clearly, Green saw and still sees, the potential in Dickerson as a future contributor at the major-league level.

With the Friars’ outfield looking pretty crowded both now and well into the future, the team can let Dickerson take his time as he recovers.

Unfortunately, at least for Dickerson, his window of opportunity closes a bit more each and every year, as it does for all professional athletes.

This latest setback, from an outside-looking-in vantage point at least, must be absolutely gut-wrenching for the Poway HS alum.

Next: Padres Tie Reds, Bullpen Shapes Up

I think I can speak for an entire fanbase when I say that we wish Alex Dickerson nothing but the best of luck in his journey back to the San Diego Padres.