Espinoza to undergo Tommy John surgery

Anderson Espinoza hasn't pitched in 2017, and now he might not even get back on the mound next season.
San Diego's No. 5 prospect was diagnosed with a torn UCL on Friday and is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery next week. He was placed on the DL in April due to forearm tightness, which the team deemed "precautionary" at the time.

The 6-foot, 160-pound right-hander was acquired from the Red Sox last July for left-hander Drew Pomeranz, a deal which resulted in a 30-day suspension for Padres general manager A.J. Preller for not disclosing Pomeranz's full injury history.

After the trade, Espinoza made eight appearances -- seven starts -- with Class A Fort Wayne, going 1-3 with a 4.73 ERA and 28 strikeouts over 32 1/3 innings. In 2016, he went 5-8 with a 4.38 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 76 innings for Class A Greenville after sparkling in his pro debut the year before, posting a 1.23 ERA and 65-to-14 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 58 1/3 innings with Greenville and Boston's Rookie-level affiliates in the Dominican Summer League and the Gulf Coast League.
The 19-year-old native of the Dominican Republic sports an arsenal with three potential plus pitches -- a fastball that reaches the triple digits, a curveball which flashes above-average at times and a sinking changeup, all of which he can command well.