Garrett Richards needs Tommy John surgery

Things are about to get rough for The Angels, the starting rotation, the fans at home...and especially Garrett Richards, if some recent baseball sources are to be believed.

In a season where the hits just keep coming, and more of the gut punch variety, not so much the fun bat-hits-ball variety, this one could be the mother of them all. Garrett Richards reportedly needs Tommy John surgery, first reported by Jeff Passan earlier this morning. This would make some sort of sense, because he's already been pulled from today's start, but we were told it was due to "fatigue". Some had thought that the vague description held a nasty, nightmarish secret behind it and if you were one of those people then your worst fears have been realized.

Cover your eyes, if you don't want to see the following graphic material that may not be fit for children or people with heart problems:

Source: Angels ace Garrett Richards has torn ulnar collateral ligament and is expected to need Tommy John surgery. https://t.co/wkbiUpTCl0

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 6, 2016

The pitching depth was a badge of pride going into Spring Training, but the Angels have basically already expended all of that valuable resource, only to find themselves barely treading water in the stands. To lose Garrett Richards now will be a nuclear blast that will not only destroy everything for the short term, but we'll be living under that fallout for months to come.

Oh, and in case this news wasn't bad enough, Passan also noted that Andrew Heaney's injury may be worse than initially thought and he's trying to rehab to avoid Tommy John surgery himself. And with that, the sun turns black and my world is fire and blood.

Remember Tyler Skaggs? He had Tommy John surgery...back in 2014...and we've still yet to see him. This is a head shot to the Angels season, if it turns out to be true. Find your love ones, hold them close. Hope nothing but the best for Garrett Richards.