Angels ace Richards not expected to return this season

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Los Angeles Angels ace Garrett Richards won't pitch again this season because of a tear in his right elbow.

Richards last pitched on May 1 and was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral five days later. Manager Mike Scioscia said Friday that Richards was done for the year.

"I think it would be such a longshot that, when a guy is cleared to start throwing, we're going to be running up against a calendar," Scioscia told reporters. "That clock is ticking, the calendar is turning and we're absolutely not going to rush Garrett into anything. If it happens, it happens, but the first course of action is to make sure Garrett is healthy."

The 28-year-old Richards is hoping stem-cell treatments can help him avoid Tommy John surgery and be ready for 2017.

Richards was 1-3 with a 2.34 ERA in six starts this season. He went 13-4 in 2014 and was 15-12 last year.