Pittsburgh Pirates breaking news: Nick Kingham to have Tommy John

The Pittsburgh Pirates have lost a top starting pitching farm-hand to Tommy John surgery for the second year in a row.

Nick Kingham left a start on May 6th with elbow discomfort, and since then the organization has been tight lipped until now. While most would agree that this is not a devastating blow for the Pirates per se, it definitely thins out some starting pitching depth at the Triple-A level. Jameson Taillon, who opted for TJ surgery last April, has nearly found his  way back, only recently beginning to pitch in extended spring training.

The news leaves Clayton Richard, Tyler Glasnow, Adrian Sampson, and Casey Sadler as viable rotation options should the Pittsburgh Pirates find themselves beset with injuries to their rotation.

Of course, with Vance Worley in the bullpen, he figures to be the first option should one starter go down. However, with Radhames Liz being designated for assignment recently, the options already on the major-league options are sparse after Worley.

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