Recent Twins first-round draft pick Alex Kirilloff will undergo Tommy John surgery in about a week, per a team announcement (h/t Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press, via Twitter). That will cost the outfielder all of the 2017 campaign.
That’s an unfortunate development for the 19-year-old, who’ll lose a year of development opportunities. Of course, given that he’s not a pitcher, it’s somewhat less concerning in regards to his long-term outlook.
Kirilloff, who was taken 15th overall in last summer’s draft, seemingly suffered the injury late last summer. He was shut down and rested all winter, but obviously was still dealing with issues as camp opened.
Minnesota will still look forward to a future contribution from Kirilloff, who was a long way from the majors before today’s news. He had shown quite well at the Rookie level last year, posting a solid .306/.341/.454 batting line with seven home runs over 232 plate appearances. Both MLB.com and Baseball America rated Kirilloff the Twins’ third-best prospect entering the 2017 season.