Given that the recovery time for a Tommy John surgery is generally 12-18 months, several weeks and/or months into the 2013 season are in jeopardy as well.
Soria, 27, was one of baseball's best closers from 2008-10, but he had a down year last season. He closed 28 games in 35 chances with a 4.03 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 60 strikeouts in 60 1/3 innings. He looked like a good bounce-back candidate heading into this season. Instead, he'll have to hope for a good second half in 2013 before he hits free agency at the conclusion of that season.
This certainly hurts the Royals a bit, but they are actually equipped to handle it. Jonathan Broxton is a two-time All-Star closer and he signed with the Royals in the offseason. Aaron Crow was an All-Star setup man last season and Greg Holland (1.80 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 74 K in 60 IP last season) is one of the more underrated relievers in baseball.
For more baseball news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnBaseball on Twitter, subscribe to the RSS feed and "like" us on Facebook.