Caleb Ferguson will undergo Tommy John surgery

Dodgers pitcher Caleb Ferguson was placed on the injured list Wednesday with a left elbow injury, and MRI results showed a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament. He will undergo Tommy John surgery next week.

“He took the news as good as anyone would take it, just understanding that it’s a long road ahead. We’re going to be with him every step of the way,” manager Dave Roberts said on a conference call Thursday. “He’s a big part of what we’re doing and what we’re planning on doing going forward. I just feel terrible.”

Ferguson left Tuesday’s game after facing just one batter. He felt something in his elbow on his third pitch, a strikeout of Jurickson Profar in the eighth inning, and immediately exited the game.

Initial X-rays and an ultrasound on Tuesday night were inconclusive, but an MRI exam in Los Angeles delivered the bad news.

Ferguson has already had Tommy John surgery once, in May 2014 when he was a senior in high school, a month before the Dodgers drafted him. Ferguson made his professional debut 13 months later, in the rookie-level Arizona League.

Ferguson was one of the Dodgers’ most trusted relievers, having the fourth-highest average leverage index on the staff. Ferguson had a 3.06 ERA and 3.60 FIP with 27 strikeouts and three walks in 18⅔ innings in his 21 appearances.