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Yankees' Torres to have Tommy John surgery

Top New York prospect will miss rest of 2017 season, team says
Gleyber Torres had been working out at second and third base to add to his defensive versatility. (Ken Inness/MiLB.com)
June 19, 2017

An ascendant season for Gleyber Torres has come to an abrupt halt.The Yankees' top prospect will undergo Tommy John surgery after being diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, the organization announced Monday. There is no set date for the procedure yet, but he will miss

An ascendant season for Gleyber Torres has come to an abrupt halt.
The Yankees' top prospect will undergo Tommy John surgery after being diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, the organization announced Monday. There is no set date for the procedure yet, but he will miss the rest of the 2017 season.

Tweet from @YankeesPR: Update on INF Gleyber Torres: pic.twitter.com/hYNTpjGIeb
Torres injured his elbow when he was tagged during a play at the plate Saturday. He did not return to the game, but on Sunday he tweeted, "Thank you all for your good wishes I feel better today just have to rest!" However, a meeting with Yankees team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad showed a tear that would require Tommy John. The Yankees expect Torres to be ready for Spring Training in 2018.
The 20-year-old shortstop was hitting .309/.406/.457 with two homers, a triple and four doubles in 23 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at the time of the injury. He began the season as the youngest player in the Double-A Eastern League and got the bump to the International League on May 22 after hitting .273/.367/.496 with five homers, a triple and 10 doubles in 32 games for Trenton. 

MLB.com's No. 2 overall prospect, Torres had been seeing time beyond shortstop at third base and second in an attempt to make him a Major League option at any of the three infield spots.
Pitchers who undergo Tommy John surgery usually return to the mound 12 to 16 months after the procedure, but position players tend to come back quicker as they do not rely as heavily on their arms. That could be the case for the right-handed Torres, whose surgery will be on his non-throwing elbow. The rehab process takes 2017 out of the picture but keeps a spring 2018 return on the table.

Sam Dykstra is a reporter for MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter, @SamDykstraMiLB.