Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez's 2015 season appears to be over before opening day.
Vazquez has been scheduled for Tommy John surgery on Thursday, the team announced Wednesday evening.
Christian Vazquez will undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow tomorrow in Pensacola, FL. Dr James Andrews will perform the procedure.
— Boston Red Sox (@RedSox) April 1, 2015MORE: Recent Tommy John surgeries | Swihart could step in behind the plate
Vazquez has not played since March 13, when he felt discomfort in his right elbow during a spring training game. An MRI exam revealed an injury to his ulnar collateral ligament.
The 24-year-old Vazquez, a Puerto Rican who hails from the same hometown as Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, was about to enter his first full MLB season. He appeared in 55 games last year, batting .240/.308/.309 in 201 at-bats. He was supposed to be the team's starting catcher, a role that will now fall to Ryan Hanigan. Boston also could turn to prospect Blake Swihart.
Vazquez's biggest asset is his defense. Though it's a small sample size, Vazquez ranked among the MLB's best by throwing out 52 percent of opposing base stealers in 2014 and was rated as one of the game’s best pitch framers, according to Statcorner.com and Baseball Prospectus.
Tommy John surgery for position players usually requires a shorter recovery period than for pitchers, but Vazquez is still expected to miss about nine months.