Ivan Nova will undergo Tommy John surgery Tuesday

Ivan Nova will undergo Tommy John surgery on Tuesday to repair his partially torn Ulnar Collateral Ligament. The surgery will be performed by Tommy John guru, Dr. James Andrews, forcing Nova to miss the next 12-18 months to recover. This was always the likeliest outcome after the MRI showed a partial tear in Nova's elbow. Sometimes a pitcher can elect to try and rehab for a while, but the result ends in Tommy John surgery far more often than not. Nova choosing to go ahead and have the surgery now gives him the best chance of getting back to the mound sooner than later.

Ivan Nova has elected to have Tommy John surgery by Dr. James Andrews on Tuesday.

— David Waldstein (@DavidWaldstein) April 24, 2014

The Yankees placed Nova on the 60-day DL prior to Thursday's game against the Red Sox so that they could add pitcher Bruce Billings to the roster. Vidal Nuno will replace Nova in the Yankees' starting rotation, at least for the time being. Nova is, unfortunately, the latest in a long string of pitchers requiring Tommy John surgery this season. It's only April.