The San Diego Padres' terrible luck with top pitching prospects continues to wreak havoc on their minor league system. The club announced that 2012 first round pick Max Fried will undergo Tommy John surgery. The news was first reported by Corey Brock of MLB.com, via Twitter.
Fried, 20, has only thrown 10 innings this year after missing most of the season. Initially, he was slated to start the year with High-A Lake Elsinore, but he never could escape the nagging injuries. He was shut down early in Spring Training with a forearm injury. Fried started a rehab assignment a few weeks ago with the Padres rookie club in Peoria, but reported pain in his elbow.
Fried pitched just 10.2 innings this year, finishing with a 5.06 ERA in the small sample size. Last year, Fried started 23 games for Single-A Fort Wayne, and made the Midwest League All-Star team.
The news adds to list of key Padres prospects who have had to undergo the reconstructive elbow surgery. Joe Wieland and Casey Kelly are still on the mend after having surgery last year. At the Major League level, pitchers Cory Luebke and Josh Johnson are recovering from the surgery that typically requires 12 to 18 months of recovery time.
Fried will likely not be able to pitch until 2016, but will only be 22 then. Still, it is a devastating blow to one of San Diego's talented young pitching prospects.