Report: Top MLB prospect Mike Matuella to have Tommy John surgery
Duke pitcher and top MLB prospect Mike Matuella has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow that will require Tommy John surgery, reports ESPN.com's Keith Law. The Blue Devils later confirmed that Matuella will have surgery on his right elbow.
Ranked as MLB.com's No. 5 draft-eligible player for 2015, Matuella posted a 1.08 ERA with 24 strikeouts and 11 walks in six starts as a junior for Duke this season. Over his three years with the Blue Devils, the 6'6", 220-pound righthander has went 6-8 with a 3.19 ERA, 121 strikeouts and 40 walks in 141 innings.
• SI.com's All-MLB Team for the 2015 season
Matuella entered the season as Baseball America's top draft-eligible college pitcher. According to MLB.com, he pitched through lat discomfort as a sophomore and was diagnosed last fall with spondylolysis, a common and "manageable defect of the vertebra in the lower back."
Last week, Brady Aiken, the top pick in the 2014 MLB draft by the Houston Astros, had Tommy John surgery. Aiken did not sign with the Astros after his elbow injury was revealed.
- Mike Fiammetta
