Brandon Workman undergoes Tommy John Surgery

Brandon Workman has been missing in action for all of 2015, and now it seems his absence will stretch well into 2016 as well, with the Red Sox announcing he underwent Tommy John Surgery at the hands of Dr. James Andrews on Monday.

Workman had originally opted to try to avoid surgery earlier in the season after receiving a second opinion from Dr. Andrews, instead receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection to aid his right elbow. But that seems to have proven an overly optimistic approach, with Workman now likely set to miss plenty of time in 2016 as well.

On the one hand, being down an arm for this season and next is hardly a positive. On the other, Workman hasn't exactly been seen as a significant piece of the Red Sox puzzle for a couple of years now. The Red Sox seemed ready to move Workman into the bullpen at the start of the season, where he does have the chance to be a solid contributor as he was in the 2013 playoffs. But those halcyon days of 2013 where he seemed to have rotation potential are well behind us now.

Whether he returns in 2016 or 2017, though, Tommy John Surgery isn't so frightening as it used to be, meaning Workman should have a good chance of recapturing what success he had before going under the knife.