More troubling information has been reported about Dedniel Núñez and the injury he’s dealing with.

Núñez was last seen in March 12th’s game, when he was removed with what was later described as wrist soreness.  On Monday, it was reported that he has officially been diagnosed with a UCL sprain in his throwing elbow.

That particular diagnosis is not a good sign, as it usually leads to Tommy John surgery.  For now, manager Gabe Kapler has said that Núñez will seek a second opinion before moving forward with treatment.  Tommy John surgery recovery could take between 12-18 months in many cases for recovery.

In his first three appearances, Núñez had a 3.00 ERA with one run allowed on four hits and no walks, with two strikeouts.  He walked three batters and getting just one out on March 12 before he left, with all three runners scoring after he left.

As a Rule 5 pick, Núñez would need to be on the 25-man roster all season to be on the Giants for the future, or if he were waived, he would have to offered back to his former team, the New York Mets, before the Giants could send him down.  However, he could be placed on the injured list.  He needs to be healthy at least for 90 days.  If he were not healthy for 90 games, restrictions would stay in place for the following season(s) until he has been active for 90 days.

In other news, starter Alex Wood has also been ailing with back stiffness.  Wood has not appeared in a game since March 9th, only his second game of the spring.  It’s been reported that he will be seeing a spine specialist to address the problems, and will likely be unavailable for the next week or so.  This makes his availability for Opening Day on April 1st questionable.

The Giants have Johnny Cueto, Kevin Gausman, Anthony DeSclafani, and Aaron Sanchez as the four likely other starters.  Logan Webb, who had a fantastic outing over the weekend, is currently set up well for the fifth spot.  Nick Tropeano and Shun Yamaguchi, who were minor league free agent signings, are both also in contention for the spot.