Orioles top pitching prospect Hunter Harvey will undergo Tommy John surgery, general manager Dan Duquette revealed on today’s Baseball Tonight Podcast with ESPN’s Buster Olney (audio link). “He’s had a strain in his elbow, and we’ve been trying to see if he could pitch with it,” Duquette explained, “but he had another setback last week, and it looks like he’s going to need to have a ligament reconstruction procedure here.”
Harvey was selected with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2013 draft but has scarcely pitched since due to a series of injuries, including a flexor mass strain, a broken shin and surgery to repair a hernia. He’s frequently been rated among the game’s Top 100 overall prospects by the likes of Baseball America, MLB.com, Baseball Prospectus and ESPN’s Keith Law, but Harvey didn’t pitch at all in 2015, threw just 12 2/3 innings this season and will now miss most or all of the 2017 season as well. The injury serves as a blow to the Orioles from a depth standpoint and also undoubtedly comes as a crushing bit of news to a pitcher that is still just 21 years of age. From a deadline perspective, the injury also eliminates any possibility of Harvey’s inclusion in a deal to help augment the Orioles’ big league rotation, which currently ranks 27th in the Majors with a 5.11 ERA and last in total innings pitched at 503 1/3.
Harvey’s surgery will take place next Tuesday, according to Rich Dubroff of CSNMidAtlantic.com.
bravesred 2
Of course he is. He’s on my minor league dynasty team.
chesteraarthur
Why would you ever draft an O’s pitcher?
dloia32
That makes no sense …
dloia32
So they can add to their lengthy list of BUSTS …
Lefty_Orioles_Fan
From a deadline perspective, the injury also eliminates any possibility of Harvey’s inclusion in a deal to help augment the Orioles’ big league rotation…
Well, yeah I don’t think he was going to be traded anyway.
If he was going to be traded, but it never happened. I think the Red Sox would have taken him for Lester. ( He was hurt)
As for my perspective, I wish he had this surgery last year.
What can you do though?
augold5
Tough, tough news. He’s been having major injury problems since they drafted him. I’m sure other teams have had just as bad of luck, but the Orioles are just having a terrible time developing pitching talent due to injuries.
What will be interesting is that by the time he gets back he’ll be almost out of options. (I might be wrong on that.) The Orioles ran into this problem with Bundy, and other teams have hit it too. I wonder if the new CBA will be adjusted to address these kinds of injury related delays to the major leagues.
Blue_Painted_Dreams_LA
No not options he’s not on the 40 man. Rule 5 maybe but They can easily get away with adding him to the 40 man and putting him on 60 day DL. Saving themselves a roster spot.
Blue_Painted_Dreams_LA
They ran into issues with Bundy because he was added to 40 and through in the majors subsequently getting optioned due to injuries. There is no trouble with that for Harvey. Even if injury puts him over the 5 years, adding him and 60 day DL will save him. Although I don’t know exactly when he got drafted. So presumably if he’s healthy next year he’d have only used one option year with two left.
stro16
Wow with him out their minor league pitching depth is brutal
Soxman81
My god! The O’s sure do have terrible luck with their pitching prospects. Bundy, Matusz, Harvey, Britton, Arrieta, etc.
Tillman has turned out to be solid, and Britton is amazing as a closer, but that’s a rough list for O’s fans.