Marlins' Kolek to open 2018 on DL

Tyler Kolek was scheduled to be the Class A Greensboro starter Friday. It would have been his first time on the mound for the Grasshoppers since Aug. 28, 2015. Unfortunately, that return won't take place for at least a little while longer.
The 2014 second overall pick has been placed on the Greensboro seven-day disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis, according to the Marlins. The timetable for his return is not yet known, but the organization doesn't believe the injury to be immediately serious.

Another malady is still worrisome for the 22-year-old right-hander, who has gone through a medically bumpy first few seasons of professional baseball. Kolek underwent Tommy John surgery in April 2016 and missed all of that season as a result. He made five appearances in the Gulf Coast League after returning to the Minors last July but had major control issues, walking 14, plunking three and striking out only one in 3 2/3 innings. He also allowed 12 earned runs in that span for a 29.45 ERA.
When he was healthy as a Texas high schooler, Kolek showed potential elite velocity, hitting the upper-90s in several showcase circuits and even triple-digits in his senior campaign. MLB.com ranked him as the No. 3 prospect in the 2014 Draft, and he eventually signed with Miami for $6 million. That heat didn't quite translate into his first full season in 2015 with the 6-foot-5 hurler's velocity dropping into the low-90s. He posted a 4.56 ERA with 81 strikeouts and 61 walks in 108 2/3 innings that season with Greensboro and was going to repeat the level before undergoing the surgery. He's since fallen to the No. 28 spot in MLB.com's ranking of Marlins prospects.
The good news is that this latest injury isn't directly tied to his previous elbow issues. But for a previously hyped player already falling behind in his development, another injury of any kind is a tough pill to swallow.