Angels' Richards has damaged UCL, will decide on surgery

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Garrett Richards has been diagnosed with damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, and he'll decide between rest and rehab or undergoing surgery, the team announced.

Richards exited his start Tuesday against the Seattle Mariners with a right forearm irritation, and he underwent an MRI on Wednesday.

Losing Richards is another blow for an Angels rotation already without Shohei Ohtani due to injury, and six other starters are on the disabled list.

Richards, who is set to hit free agency this winter, has struggled to stay healthy over the last three seasons, amassing just 138 2/3 innings in that time. He posted a 3.66 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 87 strikeouts in 16 starts this season.