Cla Meredith to have Tommy John surgery

Downgrade the chances that Cla Meredith makes the bullpen this season from a C+ to an F. In a scene that's becoming far too common for Nats pitchers, Meredith will require Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament (cue Strasburg flashbacks) in his elbow.

In Meredith's first bullpen session of the spring, he had to stop after experiencing pain in his throwing elbow. Meredith was at the core of the San Diego Padres bullpen from 2006 until mid way through 2009, amassing 237.1 innings over those three and a half seasons.

The Nats weren't really relying on Meredith to be a key member of the bullpen this season, but it's just one less guy to compete for the incredibly limited roster spots at a Nats camp where very few jobs are guaranteed. Best of luck to Cla in his recovery.