BREAKING: Braves Prospect Infielder David McCabe Recovering From Tommy John Surgery
Atlanta Braves infield prospect David McCabe has undergone Tommy John surgery on his right throwing elbow and will be sidelined indefinitely.
The news was first reported by Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The team has not confirmed the news.
McCabe, 23, was Atlanta's 4th round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft out of UNC - Charlotte. Spending his 2023 season in the lower minors, McCabe batted .276 with 23 homers and 113 strikeouts across 123 games.
McCabe, listed as a third baseman, split his time between first and third base after a college career predominately spent as a first baseman. Coming in as our #9 prospect in our organizational talent rankings, we discussed McCabe's fit as an eventual first base and DH option as soon as 2025.
McCabe spent time last October in the Arizona Fall League, where he batted .278 in his 21 games but failed to hit any homers during his time with Salt River.
Per Toscano, McCabe "felt something in his elbow" while playing catch this offseason and ended up needing surgery in early February.
McCabe timeline to return to game action isn't known at this time. While the 12-to-18 month timeframe is standard advice for pitchers, position players often see much quicker returns to game action, especially if they're able to play a less demanding defensive position like first base.
A study by the National Institutes of Health in 2018 confirmed that position players can return to game action quicker after Tommy John surgery, but 48% of studied players changed positions to a less demanding defensive position after returning.
As Toscano mentions in his report, Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies recently made the quickest return to the majors after his November 2022 Tommy John surgery, returning to major league action in only 160 days after the procedure. Holding true to the research, though, Harper moved from the outfield to first base on his return and intends to remain at the position for the rest of his career.
Given the pre-existing questions about McCabe's defensive fit at third base, it's highly probable that this injury accelerates his eventual move to first base.
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