Marlins' Sandy Alcantara Touches 99 mph in Return from Tommy John Surgery

Miami Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara made a triumphant return to the mound, touching 99 mph and holding the New York Mets scoreless on Sunday. This outing marked his first pitching appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery late in 2023. Alcantara surrendered a hit to Mark Vientos and recorded a strikeout in an otherwise clean inning, throwing 17 pitches, most of them fastballs, with an average velocity above 98 mph. He generated three swings and misses, showcasing his ability to dominate hitters even after a lengthy recovery period.
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Alcantara, 29, had established himself as one of baseball's premier workhorses before tearing his ulnar collateral ligament. From 2021 to 2023, he posted a 3.14 ERA (137 ERA+) and maintained a 3.78 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 93 starts, averaging nearly 6 ⅔ innings per outing and 206 innings per season. His contributions were highly valued, with Baseball Reference estimating them to be worth 15.7 Wins Above Replacement. As Alcantara returns to form, speculation is already building that he could be on the trading block by the 2025 deadline, if not sooner.