*Photo from The Athletic*
Houston Astros top pitching prospect Forrest Whitley has been diagnosed with a UCL sprain in his right elbow, according to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Whitley will undergo season ending surgery on his arm within the next 10 days in Dallas, and will rehab at the Astros facilities. The Astros confirmed the injury.
Whitley began experiencing discomfort in his elbow last week, while throwing live BP at the Astros spring training facility in West Palm Beach, FL. He has not yet pitched in a grapefruit league game because of it, and now he will miss all of the 2021 season, and possibly some of 2022. Whitley is the 41st ranked prospect in all of baseball, and the top prospect in the Astros system.
This injury is the latest in a line of setbacks for Whitley. In 2019, Whitley had a season of struggles, posting a 7.99 ERA across 4 minor league levels, with a bloated 12.21 ERA at Triple A. In 2018, he was hit with a 50 game suspension for violating the minor league drug prevention and treatment program. Whitley has also dealt with two oblique injuries.
Now that Whitley is undergoing surgery, it will have been at least two years since pitching in a professional game the next time he takes the mound in a professional game. Since the 2020 minor league season was cancelled, Whitley didn't pitch in any games, just sim games at the Astros alternate site.
Comments
Post a Comment