The Indiana State transfer will miss the rest of the season.
The No. 1 Texas Longhorns suffered another significant injury blow on Thursday when news broke that senior right-hander Jared Spencer, the team’s No. 1 starter, will undergo shoulder surgery next Monday and miss the remainder of the season, according to Kirk Bohls of the Houston Chronicle.
Texas ace Jared Spencer will have shoulder surgery Monday and is out for the rest of the season, a source told the Houston Chronicle.
— Kirk Bohls (@kbohls) April 24, 2025
A release from the school confirmed the news shortly after it broke.
The decision to undergo surgery comes after a lengthy evaluation process this week after Spencer was removed from his Thursday starter against then-No. 8 Auburn after 2.2 innings and 43 pitches. During a media availability on Thursday, Texas head coach Jim Schlossnagle said that Spencer was returning from an evaluation in Houston and would make a decision after discussing his options with his parents.
Jim Schlossnagle said moments ago that @TexasBaseball LHP Jared Spencer is on his way back from Houston after undergoing further evaluation for his arm issue.
Schloss said Spencer’s next move will be determined after he speaks with his family…
— Jeff Howe (@JeffHoweOTF) April 24, 2025
That option, it appears, is surgery that will end Spencer’s college career and time at Texas despite initial optimism about Schlossnagle regarding the severity of Spencer’s injury, which resulted in a decrease in his fastball velocity that initially drew the attention of Schlossnagle and pitching coach Max Weiner.
Spencer was pitching on short rest against Auburn with the series opening on Thursday due to Easter.
“He was just a little sore, so hopefully it’s nothing. I think the beauty of us getting him out of there on a Thursday, we’ve got plenty of time to rest him, even if we had to bump him back to the back end of next weekend or skip a start, we’re 14-2 in the league,” Schlossnagle said
A full-time starter for the first time in his career, Spencer was a revelation for the Longhorns this season at 4-1 with a 3.27 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP, and 66 strikeouts in 52.1 innings over 10 starts. Opponents were only batting .215 against the 6’3, 210-pounder.
Texas will move junior right-hander Ruger Riojas into Spencer’s spot in the rotation after an abbreviated outing on Saturday meant to provide the coaching staff with more options to replace Spencer.
That leaves on opening in the Sunday role, held earlier this season by sophomore left-hander Kade Bing, who did not pitch in the midweek win over Texas State. Freshman right-hander Jason Flores has also made a weekend start this season in the opening SEC series against Mississippi State.
Heading into a home rivalry series against the Aggies, the Longhorns are banged up — freshman left fielder Jonah Williams left the win over the Bobcats with a leg injury, leaving his availability unclear against Texas A&M, and sophomore second baseman Ethan Mendoza will remain at designated hitter because of a shoulder injury sustained against Kentucky.
Junior right fielder Max Belyeu remains out with a fractured thumb and freshman Adrian Rodriguez, who has replaced Mendoza at second base, along with junior Jayden Duplantier, has seen his batting average drop more than 40 points since returning from a lingering hand injury sustained last month when he was hit by a pitch against Missouri.