BALTIMORE — Two years after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, Orioles pitching prospect Dylan Bundy is unlikely to pitch again in 2015 due to right shoulder inflammation.
After being assigned to Double-A Bowie at the start of the season, Bundy was shut down after a start on May 21 due to right shoulder tendinitis and hasn’t thrown since. Buck Showalter chose not to reveal specific details about Bundy’s visit to renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews, but the manager made it clear the 22-year-old won’t be pitching anytime soon.
He is 0-3 with a 3.68 ERA in 22 innings for the Baysox this year.
“I’m not going to elaborate on doctors’ evaluations and whatever, but I know Dylan throwing again is not imminent,” Showalter said. “I haven’t heard surgery mentioned — not at this point. He’s just kind of shut down for the near future. Kind of let everything calm down and see where we are.”
According to The Sun, Bundy is dealing with calcification in the back of the right shoulder that is causing the inflammation. Surgery is not being discussed as an option at this point.
The news is concerning for Bundy and the Orioles as he is out of minor-league options next year since he signed a major league contract when he was selected with the fourth overall pick of the 2011 draft. Continuing health problems are concerning enough, but the right-hander has missed valuable experience in only making 40 professional starts in four years and would need to be on the 25-man roster next season if he’s healthy.
Bundy has been coveted by other clubs in potential trades over the last few years, but the Orioles were always hesitant to part with him because of his potential to become a top-of-the-rotation starter. This latest setback makes that projection feel even more tenuous as many have pointed to his past workout habits and heavy workload in high school as factors that have contributed to his ailments as a professional.
“Depending on how you look at it, it’s probably as good of news as we could expect,” said Showalter of Bundy’s prognosis. “We’ll see. I obviously know a lot more than I’m going to talk about here. I don’t think it’s good for anybody right now, the timing. But he won’t be throwing for a little while. We’ll see how long that is.”
In other prospect-related news, 2013 first-round pick Hunter Harvey is set to begin a throwing program soon after being shut down with a flexor mass strain earlier this year. Harvey received a platelet rich plasma injection and was prescribed rest when he visited Andrews last month.
Harvey was shut down early last year with the same ailment.
Right-handed pitcher Matt Hobgood, the Orioles’ first-round pick in the 2009 draft, will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, the latest setback in a disappointing professional career. Hobgood will become a minor-league free agent after the 2015 season.
NOTES: Right-handed pitcher Kevin Gausman remains on track to start Thursday’s series finale against the Texas Rangers. Barring something unforeseen, Showalter doesn’t anticipate the 24-year-old staying with the club after that as the organization wants him to continue pitching every fifth days. … Entering Monday, the Orioles were 10-1 at home and 18-8 overall in the month of June. The last time Baltimore posted 20 wins in a calendar month was September 1999. … In the latest American League All-Star voting update, Manny Machado ranked fourth among third basemen and Adam Jones was seventh among outfielders. The starters will be announced on Sunday night with reserves, pitchers, and the “Final Vote” candidates being unveiled on Monday night. A special will be televised on ESPN both nights. Five Kansas City Royals players remain in the lead to start after eight were leading the voting at their positions earlier this month.
Here is the latest AL voting update for the #ASG: pic.twitter.com/RohHCkw1Qy
— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) June 29, 2015
