Tampa Bay Rays: Brent Honeywell shut down for the season

Tampa Bay Rays top prospect Brent Honeywell has been shut down for the season after fracturing a bone in his elbow.

The Tampa Bay Rays were hoping that Brent Honeywell would be ready to continue his career soon. After having Tommy Joh surgery in April 2018, the Rays prospect had encountered several minor setbacks in his quest to return to the mound. Despite those minor injuries and soreness, Honeywell was expected to be a part of the Rays rotation over the latter half of the season.

Instead, Honeywell’s timeline has been pushed back even further. He will miss the rest of the 2019 campaign after fracturing a bone in his elbow while throwing a bullpen session on Saturday.

It is also understandable that some attention would be given to his previous surgery. Given the numerous setbacks and the soreness that Honeywell had felt, it makes sense to check on the status of his Tommy Joh surgery. If anything needs to be repaired, that can be done at the same time.

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A consensus top 100 prospect for each of the past four seasons, Honeywell maintained his status as a top 30 prospect despite missing the entire 2018 season due to his elbow issues. It is easy to understand why, as he posted a 13-9 record, along with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.237 WHiP, striking out 172 batters with only 35 walks in 136.2 innings.

Even before this latest setback, Honeywell was still some time away from returning. He was just resuming his rehab, having dealt with an irritation of a nerve in his arm. Yet, all of these setbacks, as numerous as they may have been, were minor in nature.

The goal now will be to ensure that Honeywell can be ready to go for the start of the 2019 campaign. Even if he is healthy through Spring Training, it would not be a surprise for the Rays to give him some time in the minors, letting Honeywell work back into shape. Should he find success once again, and show improved health, a major league debut could be possible come May or June.

Brent Honeywell is still expected to be a key part of the Tampa Bay Rays future. At this point, that future will not begin until next season at the earliest.