Phillies' Clay Buchholz Arm Injury Diagnosed as Partial Tear

Coming off a disastrous outing against the New York Mets on Tuesday, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Clay Buchholz has been diagnosed with a partially torn right flexor pronator mass, per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.

Zolecki also noted Buchholz will seek a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews. He was removed from Tuesday's game in the third inning with what was originally called a forearm strain, per MLB.com's Ben Harris.

This is a concerning setback for the Phillies after they traded for Buchholz during the offseason. He has been awful through two starts with 16 hits and 10 runs allowed in 7.1 innings. 

Buchholz has been largely inconsistent throughout his career. He made the 2010 and 2013 All-Star Games and finished those seasons with respective ERAs of 2.33 and 1.74 ERA. The right-hander boasted an ERA below 3.50 in 2011 and 2015 as well. However, he bounced between the starting rotation and bullpen for Boston last season and tallied a 4.78 ERA.

He also posted an ERA above 4.00 in 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2014.

The Phillies will have to turn elsewhere in their rotation as they look to show improvement after last year's 71-91 campaign. Jeremy Hellickson is an experienced veteran, and the combination of Jerad Eickhoff, Aaron Nola and Vince Velasquez provides depth.

While the Phillies would like Buchholz back and healthy, they have enough pieces to remain afloat until he is ready to return.