Bundy has yet to see the field in 2013. Image: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Baltimore Orioles right hander Dylan Bundy was the talk of baseball in 2012, making it all the way from Class-A to the big leagues in his first season of pro ball.
Unfortunately, his sophomore season has yet to get off the ground thanks to elbow and forearm discomfort which popped up during Spring Training and now, there is worry that Bundy may be facing significant injury.
Dylan Bundy had a setback today while throwing from 120 feet. More discomfort right forearm/elbow. Will see Dr. Wilckens tomorrow or Wed.
— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) June 25, 2013
Bundy has had a pair of MRIs on his ailing right arm and both have come back clean. A prescription of rest and platelet-rich plasma from famed Dr. James Andrews has apparently not solved the issue, however, and even the most optimistic among us has to be worried that Bundy may be facing surgery.
While Bundy is a young pitcher, just two years removed from being the fourth overall pick out of an Oklahoma high school, the Orioles weren’t overly aggressive with his workload in 2012. Bundy threw a combined 105 innings across four levels of competition last year.
This is a situation that seems destined for Tommy John surgery. While that means at least nine months of rehab and probably a year-and-a-half at least before Bundy were to return to full-strength, the rate of pitchers resuming their careers with little effects are high. Even if he takes a couple of years to get back to the big leagues and be ready to impact the Orioles, he’ll still be just 22-years-old when he arrives.