Nix was diagnosed with torn UCL in his right elbow Tuesday and will visit Dr. Neal ElAttrache to determine whether to undergo surgery, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Nix was shut down Thursday after experiencing arm soreness and the underlying injury could end up costing him a significant chunk of time. The 23-year-old made his MLB debut last season and made nine starts with a 7.02 ERA and 1.54 WHIP and was competing for a spot in the starting rotation this spring. Pending Dr. ElAttrache's opinion, Nix could return to throwing in 6-to-8 weeks as the initial diagnosis was a low-grade strain, according to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.