On Wednesday, Florida announced junior pitcher Karsten Whitson would be sidelined due to continued shoulder fatigue.
“Karsten is evaluating further options at this time that will allow for a healthy and productive return to baseball,” Gator Baseball Head Athletic Trainer Pat Hassell said in a school press release.
After a meeting with Dr. James Andrews, it appears the option that Whitson has chosen is a shoulder procedure that will sideline him for the season according to Kendall Rogers of Perfect Game. Said Rogers on Thursday afternoon:
“ @KendallRogersPG: BREAKING: Whitson family informed me #Gators RHP Karsten Whitson to miss the ’13 season following shoulder procedure.”
With Whitson out, the Gators now have just one returning starter from last year’s team, junior Jonathan Crawford.
Crawford will start Friday’s game against Duke, and will be followed on Saturday by freshman Tucker Simpson and on Sunday by sophomore Justin Shafer, who is primarily an outfielder.