Dodgers’ Ross Stripling to undergo Tommy John surgery

PHOENIX -- The Dodgers said right-hander Ross Stripling will undergo Tommy John elbow ligament-replacement surgery in Los Angeles on Wednesday morning. He will miss the 2014 season.

“Kind of sucks,” Manager Don Mattingly said. “He was on a good roll. He was one of the guys that’s been throwing the ball good.”

A fifth-round pick in the 2012 draft, Stripling, 24, was 8-4 with a 2.82 earned-run average in 27 games split between Class A Rancho Cucamonga and double-A Chattanooga last summer. He first noticed something was wrong with his elbow early in spring training after pitching to former minor league teammate Joc Pederson during batting practice.

Stripling said the competition got the best of him and after he threw a series of cutters to Pederson, he felt a tearing sensation. He continued to pitch but his elbow felt sore the rest of the week. After an MRI exam, the Dodgers’ medical staff said surgery was necessary.

“All it does is it changes the timetable more than anything else,” Mattingly said. “We assume he’s going to come back as good or better than before.”