O's Bundy to have Tommy John surgery

Orioles top prospect Dylan Bundy will undergo Tommy John elbow surgery on Thursday and is expected to be sidelined for up to 12 months, according to MLB.com.

Bundy, MLB.com's No. 2 prospect, was re-examined on Wednesday in Florida by Dr. James Andrews after suffering a setback during his rehab earlier in the week. He last pitched off a mound in March but was shelved after reporting soreness in his arm, an injury the Orioles initially diagnosed as right flexor mass tightness.

Wednesday's diagnosis proved to be more serious, though -- Andrews said the O's 2011 first-round pick has a partial tear in his right elbow ligament and will need surgery. 

The rehab and recovery timetable is typically about a year.

Bundy's agent, Jay Franklin, told The Baltimore Sun that the Orioles' right-hander was disappointed to learn the news.

"He's down, you can imagine," Franklin told the newspaper. "That's tough on anyone, especially someone with his level of competitiveness. [Orioles team orthopedist Dr. John] Wilckens and Dr. Andrews are very qualified to make that recommendation, and to me it is the right decision."

Bundy, shut down in Spring Training, received a PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injection to promote healing on April 29 from Wilckens and was prescribed six weeks of rest. He was cleared to begin a throwing program on June 3 but reported feeling discomfort after throwing from 120 feet on June 24.

Bundy is set to have surgery in Florida on Thursday, which would put him on track to return sometime late next season. Franklin is hopeful that the Oklahoma native won't have a long recovery.

"The good thing is, because of how young he is, he should be able to heal quickly," Franklin said. "Not many people are in better shape."

"Hopefully, next year this time we'll be putting a date on when he's going to be pitching again in a game," Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said to the Associated Press on Wednesday.

Bundy stormed through the Minors last season when he was nearly unhittable in every outing with Class A Delmarva, going 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and allowing just five hits in 30 innings over eight starts in the South Atlantic League.

The 2012 Futures Game All-Star, who won the 2012 Jim Palmer Prize as the Orioles' Minor League Pitcher of the Year, started 15 more games with Class A Advanced Frederick and Double-A Bowie, finishing a combined 9-3 with a 2.08 ERA in 103 2/3 innings before making two scoreless relief appearances in the Majors with Baltimore.

An MiLB.com Organization All-Star and Carolina League All-Star in 2012, Bundy entered the season as the Orioles' No. 1 prospect. He pitched in four Spring Training games this year, going 1-1 with a 1.13 ERA and five strikeouts in eight innings for Baltimore.