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Rays outfield prospect Garrett Whitley will miss the entire season after labrum surgery on his throwing shoulder, according to the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin.
#Rays 2015 top pick OF Garrett Whitley will miss the full season after undergoing surgery on his right labrum.
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) March 31, 2018
Whitley himself tweeted about his surgery Friday.
Labrum surgery today...tough times only make the strong even stronger. Best believe I’m gone come back better than ever pic.twitter.com/UF3dQQy3Sd
— Garrett Whitley (@RealGWhit) March 30, 2018
The 21-year-old outfielder was expected to start the season with Class A-Advanced Charlotte. In 2017 with Class-A Bowling Green, he batted .249 with a .362 on-base percentage and .430 slugging percentage. He hit 13 home runs and stole 21 bases in 25 attempts.
Prior to the season, Baseball America ranked Whitley as the team’s No. 9 prospect. He was the No. 13 overall pick in the 2015 draft.
The extent of the damage is not publicly known. Yankees first baseman Greg Bird tore his labrum prior to the 2016 season and missed the entire season. This Pinstripe Alley report following that surgery could indicate Whitley may be just fine in the future, although it’s certainly never a good thing for a prospect to miss an entire season of development.