No. 4 prospect Barriera has Tommy John surgery, per agent
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TORONTO -- Left-hander Brandon Barriera, the Blue Jays¡¯ No. 4 overall prospect, underwent a combination Tommy John surgery and internal brace procedure on his throwing elbow, the club confirmed on Monday.
The procedure addressed a Grade 2 UCL tear, said Barriera¡¯s agent, Nate Heisler, on social media. The Blue Jays expect Barriera to be sidelined for the rest of the year at least.
¡°Really unfortunate, obviously, for anyone -- especially a first-round pick,¡± Blue Jays manager John Schneider said before Monday¡¯s game against the Royals. ¡°It seems to be the epidemic that we¡¯re in, for whatever reason, but it sucks. It sucks for his development, losing a year, and it slows us down too.¡±
The 20-year-old Barriera was selected with the No. 23 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, signing with Toronto for an above-slot bonus of $3,597,500. Two separate arm injuries disrupted the left-hander¡¯s first pro season in 2023, causing his fastball velocity to sit in the 92-93 mph range rather than the expected 95-96 mph.
Barriera made just one start this year, allowing two hits and two earned runs in 1 1/3 innings for Single-A Dunedin. Overall in his pro career, Barriera has an 0-2 record with a 4.57 ERA in eight starts, with 26 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings.
The news of Barriera¡¯s procedure comes three days after the Blue Jays announced that Ricky Tiedemann -- their No. 1 prospect and the top lefty prospect overall per MLB Pipeline -- had avoided ligament damage after being sidelined with an elbow issue. Tiedemann was diagnosed with ulnar nerve inflammation and he¡¯s expected to get back to throwing soon.
The Blue Jays have yet to provide more information on right-hander Landen Maroudis, another top young pitcher currently sidelined due to a forearm injury. The club¡¯s No. 12 prospect saw his velocity dip during his start for Single-A Dunedin on April 21, and he underwent an MRI after exiting in the third inning. Maroudis, 19, was Toronto¡¯s fourth-round pick in last year¡¯s Draft. He was off to a brilliant start to his pro career, posting an 0.84 ERA and 12 strikeouts over 10 2/3 innings.