Miguel Sano to undergo Tommy John surgery, miss 2014 season

The Minnesota Twins organization has struggled the last few seasons, but they find hope in the fact that they have two of the best prospects in all of baseball in Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano.

Unfortunately for them, they received bad news about Sano, a third baseman, on Saturday morning. From Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:

"Top prospect Miguel Sano will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and will miss the entire 2014 season, the Twins confirmed Saturday.Sano felt something in his right elbow while making a throw in Thursday’s intrasquad game, and an MRI exam on Friday revealed a high-grade partial tear of his UCL. After consulting with team doctors, it was determined that the third baseman needed Tommy John surgery.”"

Before camp opened, the Twins had feared that Sano would require Tommy John surgery. They then felt he was healthy enough to start Spring Training after some rehab work, but then a throw across his body apparently caused another problem with his elbow.

At just 20 years old, Sano has plenty of time to get healthy and keep his career on track. Some have questioned Sano’s ability to remain at third base long term because of his size (6’3″, 195 lbs), and this injury will surely raise that question upon his return.

That’s for later. For now, the Twins will hope for a successful recovery from one of their most important prospects.