New York Yankees right-handed prospect James Kaprielian will undergo Tommy John surgery and will miss his second-straight regular season.
The New York Yankees announced Thursday that top right-handed pitching prospect James Kaprielian will undergo Tommy John surgery on Tuesday, April 18.
General manager Brian Cashman addressed the media after Wednesday’s 8-4 win over the Rays and stated that the rehab on his right elbow flexor strain suffered in 2016, which limited him to 56 innings in his first two seasons in professional ball, was not successful “without having continued issues.”
The 23-year old was supposed to make his first regular-season start in almost a year on Friday for High-A Tampa, but complained of discomfort in his elbow and was placed on the minor league disabled list.
Kaprielian underwent an MRI and dye-cast MRI and after being seen by Yankees doctors, he then flew to Los Angeles to visit orthopedic specialist Dr. Neil ElAttrache for a second option. ElAttrache, who will perform the surgery, reiterated the options to the young phenom, who decided to follow through with the operation.
This is surely a tough blow for Kaprielian, who was taken 16th overall in the 2015 draft out of UCLA. He has already missed time with elbow issues early in his career and despite being deemed as “major league bound” by scouts in each of the past two seasons, he will not see the mound until perhaps the end of 2018.
RHP James Kaprielian is scheduled to undergo "Tommy John" surgery on Tuesday, 4/18. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) April 13, 2017
