James Kaprielian, the Yankees’ top pitching prospect, will undergo Tommy John surgery next week, the team announced Thursday.
Kaprielian, 23, had missed nearly all of last season with a strained right flexor tendon, an injury that is sometimes viewed as a precursor to a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament. The typical recovery for the surgery is at least 14 months.
Kaprielian, who was shut down after three strong starts at Class-A Tampa last April, hoped that several months of rest would allow him to recover without surgery, and he pitched without discomfort in the Arizona Fall League and again during spring training.