Yankees top prospect Estevan Florial requires hamate surgery

The Yankees just lost one of their top prospects to injury. According to George King, Estevan Florial requires hamate surgery and doesn’t expect to return to action until August. He was removed from yesterday’s game with High-A Tampa due to wrist soreness. Go to find out it’s more serious than we imagined.

Florial, 20, ranks as the team’s number two prospect according to MLB.com. He’s had an okay season to date in Tampa, batting to a .246/.353/.343 line with a home run. The numbers don’t jump off the page, but context matters. For a 20-year-old in High-A ball, that’s nothing to scoff at.

The center fielder came into his own as a top prospect last season, when he hit .298/.372/.479 with a 145 wRC+. He split time between Charleston and Tampa. Florial also found himself as an untouchable during trade discussions. For a good brush up on his track record, consider this story by Matt Provenzano.

Hamate injuries are serious, but the surgery has a good track record of success. The major concern here is the lost development time. Three months is a long time, especially at this stage in his career. He’s young enough to bounce back, but you hate to see Florial on the sidelines. This is a bummer.