No structural damage for prospect Harvey
2013 first-round pick diagnosed with elbow tendinitis
BOSTON – A follow-up appointment Monday in Baltimore to examine Orioles pitching prospect Hunter Harvey’s surgically repaired right elbow revealed no structural damage or changes, meaning his recent discomfort is a result of tendinitis, according to industry sources.
Harvey, the 2013 first-round draft pick who entered this season as the team’s top pitching prospect despite years of injuries that kept him off the mound, stopped throwing last week at the team complex in Sarasota, Fla., after feeling discomfort, the latest setback in what has been another lost season. The Orioles had Harvey compete for a major league roster spot out of spring training despite a light workload as he rehabilitated from Tommy John elbow reconstruction in 2017, and he pitched well in the spring, but ultimately was assigned back to Double-A Bowie.
He was on a limited schedule there to build him up and keep him available for a possible late-season major league call-up, but Harvey suffered a shoulder injury trying to avoid a foul ball in the dugout when his shirtsleeve got caught on the railing as he jerked backward, and didn’t make another start after June 1.
Harvey was a candidate for the Arizona Fall League, but didn’t make it far in his throwing progression before his elbow discomfort began. O’s-Red Sox to play doubleheader today: A full day of rain in the forecast means the Orioles and Boston Red Sox will play a day-night doubleheader beginning at 1:05 p.m. today.
While the postponement Tuesday could help some of the Orioles’ taxed pitchers recover enough to pitch in one of today’s games, many of the same headaches remain in terms of arms available. O’s sign minor leaguers: First baseman Ryan Ripken will be back in the Orioles organization next year, a signing the club announced Tuesday as part of a group of players they kept from reaching minor league free agency by re-signing early.
Ripken, the son of Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr., will be back for 2019 along with left-hander Chris Lee, right-handers Francisco Jiménez and Christian Alvarado, catchers Martin Cervenka and Daniel Fajardo, and infielders Anderson Feliz and Wilson García.
Ripken, 25, hit .244 with seven home runs last year at Low-A Delmarva, serving as the designated hitter and first baseman for the club after spending 2016 with Short-A Aberdeen.
Lee, 26, who was on the 40-man roster as recently as late July, had another injury-filled year but ended the season as a reliever at Double-A Bowie, where he posted a a 3.50 ERA in 18 innings.
Cervenka, 26, was added in the minor league Rule 5 draft last year from the San Francisco Giants organization after the Cleveland Indians signed him out of the Czech Republic. He hit .258 with a .774 OPS and 15 home runs for Bowie in 2018.
Alvarado, 24, and Jiménez, 23, are each organizational arms who have filled their roles well. Alvarado made 26 starts with a 4.18 ERA in his second year at High-A Frederick, while Jiménez was used to cover needs at both Frederick and Triple-A Norfolk this year.
Feliz, 26, was a useful utility piece for Bowie this year while getting some time at Norfolk, batting .276.