The Red Sox got some bad news Saturday with word that top pitching prospect Bryan Mata is being forced to shut things down due to a slight tear in the UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) in his pitching elbow.
Speaking with the media Saturday morning, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Mata will not undergo surgery but instead rely on treatment. There is no timetable for the pitcher's return.
"The way we’re going to go with him is going to be treatment," Cora said. "The doctors and physicians feel like it’s small enough so with treatment and doing that he should be fine. Obviously it’s going to take some time. There is no timetable. There are going to be a few checkpoints throughout the process. If he is disciplined and follows everything that we are set to do the hope is for him to come back. Like I said, no timetables. As you guys know he is very important for us. It’s a tough one. But at the same time we do believe he is going to bounce back and he is going to be OK.
"Obviously, we have to be patient and see how he reacts. When you start talking about the UCL, it’s something … We don’t feel comfortable of course because it’s the UCL. We just have to be patient and he has to be patient. He’s young enough where probably everything is going fast for him right now. But he is mature enough to understand these things happen over the course of your career. He did an amazing job in the offseason to get in shape and get his arm where it’s supposed to be. It’s an obstacle in his career, but we do feel he is going to bounce back and he is going to be OK."
The 21-year-old Mata impressed the organization with his work in the alternate site last summer, routinely approaching upper-90's with his fastball. His most recent minor league competition came with Single-A Salem, going 3-1 with a 1.75 ERA in 10 starts, striking out 52 over 51 1/3 innings.