Last season, he went 22-7 with a 3.30 ERA and 183 strikeouts in 34 starts.
This season, he pitched in one game before bowing out to a shoulder injury that would eventually end his year. Talk about dashed expectations.
The Arizona Diamondbacks, whose preseason roster featured two aces at the top of the pitching rotation, suffered one final blow on Tuesday when Brandon Webb underwent season-ending shoulder surgery. He sustained the injury during an opening day no-decision against Colorado and has not pitched since then.
The surgery was performed by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas.
"They did a cleanup of his shoulder, didn't have to repair anything, and it sounds like it was good news for us," Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch told Yahoo Sports. "We're anxious to get him on his rehab trail."
Webb has no apparent history of shoulder problems; before this year, he had only made one trip to the 15-day disabled list throughout the course of his six-year major league career.
The prognosis projects that the 30-year-old hurler should be able to play catch within three to four months, and his agent confirmed to Yahoo Sports that he will begin throwing again in October.
The Arizona pitching staff could have been intimidating if the 2006 Cy Young winner had stayed healthy, as he would have joined Dan Haren at the top of the rotation. Haren has compiled an 11-6 record this season with a 2.38 ERA, but the Diamondbacks currently sit 18 games in back of first place in the NL West.
Arizona can either exercise an $8.5 million club option on Webb in 2010, or it can opt for the $2 million buyout, which would make him eligible for free agency.
