Yankees top prospect Torres to undergo Tommy John surgery

New York Yankees fans will have to wait until 2018 to see one of the biggest pieces of their future don the pinstripes.

Gleyber Torres - the Yankees' No. 1 prospect and the second-ranked prospect in all of baseball according to MLB Pipeline - will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left (non-throwing) elbow, the team announced Monday.

New York expects Torres to be ready in time for spring training next February.

Torres sustained the injury during a Triple-A contest with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. He reached around the catcher in an awkward slide while scoring a run, and immediately rolled away from home plate clutching his arm in pain.

It's a potentially big blow to the Yankees, who were reportedly grooming the 20-year-old to take over third base from incumbent Chase Headley by season's end. Torres is a shortstop by trade, though he's played shortstop, third, and second base at various points this season.

Acquired from the Chicago Cubs last July as the centerpiece of the Aroldis Chapman trade, Torres began 2017 in Double-A following a red-hot spring training before earning a promotion to Triple-A last month. He posted a .287/.383/.480 slash line with seven homers, 14 doubles, 34 RBIs, seven stolen bases, and 34 walks to 47 strikeouts in 235 total plate appearances across the two levels this season.

Torres is the second top prospect the Yankees have lost to Tommy John surgery in 2017 after James Kaprielian, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the organization's top pitching prospect, underwent the procedure in early April.