There’s bad luck, and then there’s Alex Dickerson. First he missed half of the 2014 season with ankle and leg issues. A promising 2015 minor league campaign led to a breakout in 2016, only to be cut short by a hip injury. Then he missed the 2017 season with back issues. Coming into spring training, everyone was optimistic about the back, but he felt some discomfort in his elbow early this month and was shut down. Team officials were hopeful that he could rehab the elbow and avoid surgery, but early signs were poor, and they have opted for surgery.

For a short while in 2016, Padres fans were excited by two intriguing lefty bats that were catching fire. Ryan Schimpf was an XBH machine, and Alex Dickerson was looking like a promising, balanced hitter. Dickerson’s command of the strike zone, his excellent contact skills, and his developing power had the team shoe-horning him into the mix in leftfield, even though he was a defensive liability at the time. Now his professional career is in jeopardy. Tommy John surgery for outfielders isn’t unprecedented; former Padres prospect Rymer Liriano is a success case, but losing another year is tough for a guy who will turn 27 this May. The Padres will probably stash him on the 60-day DL again and hope that he’s ready to go once again next spring, but there’s an increasing chance that they’ll cut him loose at some point. You really have to feel bad for the guy.

In the meantime, bask in the glory of one of Alex Dickerson’s shining moments: