Miami Marlins left-handed pitching prospect Robby Snelling is scheduled for Tommy John surgery on Friday to fix the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow, team officials announced Thursday.
According to MLB Pipeline, Snelling ranks as the organization’s second-best prospect and will be sidelined for the remainder of this season plus an undetermined portion of next year. The team moved him to the 60-day injured list Thursday.
The procedure will take place in Dallas with Dr. Keith Meister performing the operation. Miami officials said they will announce the expected recovery timeline following the surgery. Snelling met with Meister on Thursday.
“Disappointing for him, us,” Miami manager Clayton McCullough told reporters. “That’s an unfortunate part of our industry. Guys go down. So Robby will have the surgery. We’ll have more what the timeline and return to play will look like after that. We just keep going, and Robby will come back from this a stronger person.”
The young pitcher was pulled from his scheduled May 14 appearance against the Minnesota Twins after feeling discomfort during a bullpen workout on May 12. Medical tests initially showed a UCL sprain, but additional evaluation confirmed the need for surgical intervention.
This setback occurred shortly after Snelling’s major league debut on May 8 versus the Washington Nationals. In that contest, he allowed three runs on five hits across five innings during a 3-2 defeat to Washington, issuing four walks while recording two strikeouts.
Miami acquired Snelling as part of a four-prospect package from the San Diego Padres in a six-player transaction last July that centered around left-hander Tanner Scott.
The team called up another player from that same trade, third baseman Graham Pauley, before Thursday’s matchup with the Atlanta Braves.
The 25-year-old Pauley hit .173 with one home run and nine RBIs across 28 games with Miami this season. Over three years, he has appeared in 103 games between the Padres and Marlins organizations.
Additionally, Miami moved infielder Leo Jimenez to the 7-day concussion list. The 25-year-old has posted a .227 batting average with one RBI through 18 games.
