Angels’ Tyler Skaggs has no structural damage in elbow ligament

A Wednesday MRI exam on Tyler Skaggs’ sore left arm showed that his ulnar collateral ligament remains intact. No structural damage was detected, and the diagnosis was a mild flexor-pronator strain, said Angels General Manager Billy Eppler. Skaggs will rest his arm for at least one week.

Skaggs said he will see Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Thursday in Los Angeles to confirm the diagnosis, which, doctors told him, was a product of “routine wear and tear.”

Eppler was unwilling to rule out the 25-year-old left-hander pitching again this season, with 18 games remaining. He said he spoke to Skaggs briefly and described him as relieved.

Skaggs said he had been feeling tightness within his arm for some time now. He opted to tell the team when he felt it more while he prepared for this start with a bullpen session. Still, he said, he went into the MRI exam confident nothing serious would be detected.

“I know it’s just a minor setback for me,” he said after Wednesday’s game. “I’m not too worried about it. But I felt like it was probably going to do more damage than good to keep going out there.”

Skaggs tore the ligament on a night he gave up no hits in 42/3 innings on July 31, 2014, and underwent surgery the next month. He required 23 months to return to the major leagues, but returned throwing harder than he had before the injury. Eppler said Wednesday’s contrast-dye MRI test demonstrated the graft used to repair the ligament was in “great” condition.

If Skaggs cannot pitch again this season, he would become the sixth Angels starter to suffer a season-ending injury this season.

Across all levels of the organization, Skaggs has thrown 881/3 innings this season, which, even if he’s healthy, will make it difficult for him to pitch a full 2017. In nine big league starts, he has logged a 4.13 earned-run average, with 50 strikeouts and 21 walks in 48 innings.

pedro.moura@latimes.com

Twitter: @pedromoura