Yankees Prospect Gleyber Torres To Have Tommy John Surgery

The Yankees are very good, and are on track to get even better given the amount of developing young talent currently stocking the major-league roster and farm system. One of these young talents is 20-year-old shortstop Gleyber Torres, who will now undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery.

Torres came to the Yankees in last year’s Aroldis Chapman trade, and is considered to be the best prospect in their minor-league system. He hit .287/.383/.480 in 55 games between Triple A and Double A this year, and now a freak injury has ended his season. While trying to slide into home during a game this weekend, Torres landed awkwardly on his arm and tore a ligament in his elbow:

The injury is on Torres’s non-throwing elbow, and he is expected to recover in time for spring training next year.

Short term, this isn’t a huge blow to the Yankees. Didi Gregorius is currently doing a fine job as the everyday shortstop, so it’s not like Torres’s services were desperately needed by the big club. Losing an entire season to injury will certainly set his development back, though, and so the Yankees will have to go on being a really good team for a little while longer while they wait for their potential star shortstop to make his debut. They’ll be fine.