NEW YORK -- The Red Sox' farm system took another hit on Wednesday.
The team announced top pitching prospect Jay Groome will undergo Tommy John surgery on his left elbow next week. The procedure will be performed by Dr. Neal El Attrache at the Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles.
This comes after top positional prospect Michael Chavis was suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug in early April.
Groome's 2017 season was ended with a flexor strain in his elbow in August and he hasn't pitched at all this season because of the same injury. The 19-year-old appeared to be healthy during spring training, but began the year on the Single-A Greenville disabled list and now finds himself out for not only the rest of this season, but potentially most of next season.
He was the Red Sox' No. 12 overall pick in the 2016 MLB draft.
The minor league system wasn't very strong to begin with, so now it's top pitching prospects are Tanner Houck (High-A Salem), Jalen Beeks (Triple-A Pawtucket) and 19-year-old Bryan Mata (High-A Salem).