Astros' Whitley may need Tommy John surgery to repair UCL sprain
Houston Astros right-hander Forrest Whitley has an ulnar collateral ligament sprain in his right elbow that could require Tommy John surgery, according to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle.
The team confirmed the injury Sunday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
The procedure has been recommended, and Whitley will get a second opinion, a source told Mark Berman of Fox 26. The recovery time for pitchers is around 12-to-15 months.
Whitley is the club's top prospect and No. 41 in all of baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. However, the 23-year-old's stock has fallen in recent years after being ranked as high as No. 8 in 2018. Whitley posted a 12.21 ERA in 24 1/3 innings in Triple-A during 2019 but didn't pitch last season because of the pandemic.
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