Forrest Whitley, an Astros pitching prospect, has experienced yet another setback on his way to the majors. This time, it’ll cost him the entire 2021 season because he’ll need Tommy John surgery.
On Wednesday, Astros manager Dusty Baker revealed to reporters that Whitley would need elbow surgery.
Baker told the Associated Press on Wednesday, “He’s a talent who’s been on and off the injured list.” “And so ideally we’ll be able to go ahead and perform the surgery, and then his career will take off from there once he’s ready.”
After experiencing soreness in his right elbow during a live batting practice session earlier in spring training, Whitley was diagnosed with a damaged ulnar collateral ligament.
Whitley has yet to make his major-league debut, but he has a 7.99 ERA across four minor-league levels in 2019.
Just two years ago, the 23-year-old was widely regarded as baseball’s top pitching prospect, but his ranking has since collapsed. Whitley was placed No. 48 in R.J. Anderson’s recent top 50 prospects list:
The Astros’ big-league rotation has seen some movement recently, with Framber Valdez suffering a finger injury and the team signing free agent Jake Odorizzi.
Forrest Whitley Contract
The Houston Astros have signed Forrest Whitley to a one-year, $3,148,000 contract.
Forrest Whitley Salary and Net Worth
Forrest Whitley earns an average of $3,148,000 per year. Whitley has a net worth estimation of $500,000