Gavin Guidry injury update: Jay Johnson shares unfortunate diagnosis on LSU pitcher

LSU pitcher Gavin Guidry will undergo surgery on Friday and will miss the 2025 college baseball season, Tigers head coach Jay Johnson revealed. Guidry’s injury stems from a preseason injury that lingered throughout the regular season.

Guidry was unable to play during the 2025 season. Trying to return from a back injury, Johnson said that his pitcher had undergone MRIs, various treatments and exercises in order to make it back before the postseason. However, that doesn’t appear to be in the cards for the Louisiana native. Johnson said Guidry took the news hard when he found out he was shut down for the remainder of the year.

“Friday was kind of like a last-ditch effort after he had seen the doctor to see if we could do one more thing that was a little bit, you know, from kind of a new source, and it didn’t really take,” Johnson said. “And I think there’s some peace of mind now, but we were trying to get him back, and he was trying to get back. And then kind of last week, it just got like he can’t do it.”

Johnson said that Guidry’s recovery time is expected to be anywhere from three to four months. That would keep the former top-100 national prospect and Louisiana Class 51 Gatorade Player of the Year off the bump likely until at least August.

Fans first got a taste of what Guidry can do on the mound during his freshman season, which coincided with LSU’s national championship run in 2023. He made 23 appearances that season, finishing the year with a 3-0 record, as well as a 3.77 ERA to go with 42 strikeouts and 12 walks in 28 2/3 innings. Guidry finished with three saves that season.

The next season, he was impressive in his 22 starts. Finishing with a 2-0 record, he once again had three saves. However, he was able to significantly reduce his ERA and finished the year with a 2.59 ERA. He also logged 36 strikeouts and 18 walks across 24 1/3 innings on the mound.

Now, the Tigers will have to look ahead in their schedule knowing they won’t be returning Guidry’s services this season. With a 32-6 overall record and a 10-5 record against SEC competition, they’ve been able to produce winning baseball without him on the mound.

They’re set to take on Alabama in a three-game set at home beginning on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. The game can be viewed live on ESPNU.