LSU baseball star Tommy White will miss fall practice

With the first scrimmage of the year set to place tomorrow, coach Jay Johnson and his squad are officially less than 24 hours away from competing on the diamond. Unfortunately for fans, the team won’t quite be at 100 percent health, as LSU baseball star third baseman Tommy White will miss fall practices as he tends to his shoulder.

LSU baseball star Tommy White will miss fall practice following spring shoulder procedure

It’s never encouraging when your team is less than 100 percent. It’s even more concerning when it’s because your star player is the one that’s out.

For LSU baseball star Tommy White, this happens to be exactly the case, but it might not be for long.

Following the Tigers’ national championship run in the 2023 College Baseball World Series, the now junior third baseman underwent a much overdue shoulder procedure in the spring. He’d been dealing with a shoulder problem for most of the season but fought through it up until the season was over.

TOMMY “TANKS” WHITE WITH A WALK-OFF HOMER TO PUT LSU IN THE #MCWS FINALS! ⚾️💣🐯 pic.twitter.com/XVWCHioebm

— The Comeback (@thecomeback) June 23, 2023

While it’s good he’s getting close to full health, fans will be disappointed to hear they might not see much of him this fall.

“Tommy (White) will not play this fall,” coach Jay Johnson told the media on Wednesday. “He had a shoulder procedure shortly after the College World Series that was probably needed well into the year, but got it fixed up good, and he’ll be 100 percent ready to go by when we start back up in January.”

With a designated return date around January, fans have every reason to feel good about how he’s recovering. The season officially begins on February 16, so he should be more than ready to go by game time.

The star junior third baseman is close to getting back on the diamond

When looking back on the 2023 LSU baseball season, Tommy White was all over it. From being one of the top sluggers in the country to hitting a walk-off home run to send the Tigers to the College World Series Finals vs. Florida, he was a star.

On the season, he recorded a batting average of 0.374, 102 hits, 24 home runs and 105 RBIs. He led the team in both home runs and RBIs.

Now, heading into his junior year and second season with the team, he’ll be stepping into a new role as a veteran leader. In 2023, they had outfielder Dylan Crews, pitcher Paul Skenes, first baseman Tre Morgan and so many others who served in that role.

Now, with them heading off to the MLB, it’s time for Tommy “Tanks” White, and the first step is to get 100 percent healthy.

“He’s moving around, doing a great job with his therapy, body looks great,” said coach Jay Johnson regarding the star third baseman. “So really pleased coming off of a shoulder repair that he’s in a good spot physically.”

Who knows, maybe the extra rest will do some good for more than just the junior as the pitching staff looks to gain some momentum.

“Super motivated for the year, and we just won’t have the luxury of seeing him hit a bunch of line drives in fall practice,” joked Johnson. “Good news for our pitchers developing confidence.”

The official LSU baseball season begins in the winter of 2024, as the Tigers face off against VMI at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge on February 16.

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