Strasburg Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

(NewsCore) - Stephen Strasburg, the star rookie fireballer from Major League Baseball's Washington Nationals, underwent successful Tommy John surgery to replace a ligament in his right elbow Friday, the Washington Post reported.

"He came through with flying colors," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said. "It went smooth and uneventful."

The three-hour surgery took place in L.A. and involved replacing Strasburg's ulnar collateral ligament with a tendon from his thigh.

The ligament-replacement procedure was first performed successfully in 1974 on then-Dodgers pitcher Tommy John.

The 22-year-old, who was the top pick in last year's MLB draft, will spend the night in hospital before beginning his rehab.

He is expected to be out of the game for at least a year and will likely not return until the 2012 season.