Athletics react to Parker's heartbreaking injury

Jarrod Parker's more than two-year journey back to the majors came to a screeching halt Friday after the Oakland Athletics announced the 27-year-old re-fractured the medial epicondyle in his right elbow, the same injury he sustained last May.

Parker, who hasn't appeared in a big-league game since September 2013, was sent home to be with his family, as Athletics' players reacted to the announcement while offering sympathy to the former first-round pick:

After cutting a throwing session short Thursday, Parker walked off the mound and screamed in frustration as pain resurfaced in his throwing elbow. Initial reports said the injury could have been an elbow impingement, but an MRI revealed the fracture.

"We're just devastated for Jarrod," Athletics general manager David Forst told Doug Miller of MLB.com. "That's what we've been thinking all morning. He worked hard not once, but twice, to come back, and he was obviously emotional about it. We'll just do what we can to help take care of him."

Parker was once a formidable member of the Athletics' rotation, winning 25 games between 2012-13, and starting three postseason games.

"It's tough," manager Bob Melvin said. "The guy's fought so many times to put himself back in a position. We're talking about an elite guy, a guy who's pitched in postseason games, pitched the first game of the postseason for us, and to go through these as many times as he has shows you a little bit about his tenacity."