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New York Times
28-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Nationals top pitching prospect Travis Sykora to have Tommy John surgery
Washington Nationals' right-handed pitching prospect Travis Sykora will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair a torn right UCL, the team announced on Monday. Sykora ranked as the No. 51 prospect in The Athletic's Keith Law's recently released top-60 MLB prospects list and is the team's No. 2 prospect behind 2025 No. 1 pick Eli Willits. Advertisement Sykora, 21, was a third-round pick in 2023 out of Round Rock High School in Texas. The 6-foot-6 right-hander had a 2.33 ERA in 85 innings last season, with 129 strikeouts for Low-A Fredericksburg. He had hip surgery after the season and began this year rehabbing before making his season debut May 3 in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League. After two starts there and two starts with Fredericksburg, he jumped up to High A, where he dominated in 29 2/3 innings, posting a 1.21 ERA, with 47 strikeouts and only eight walks. He was promoted to Double A on June 29 but left his second start with Harrisburg after only one inning with what was initially termed right triceps soreness. Sykora missed the Futures Game and an MRI later revealed the torn UCL. Law talked about Sykora's potential and his injury risk in the top-60 write-up: 'Sykora's stuff rivals the top pitchers on this list, as he's 95-98 with a plus splitter and a solid-average slider already. But his delivery is high-effort and his arm is very late, neither of which is great for durability. He came out of his last start on July 5 with lower right triceps soreness, with the hope that he'll be back fairly soon,' he wrote. 'He'd gotten off to a tremendous start, dominating High A after his return from offseason hip labrum surgery with 32 strikeouts and just two walks in 18 innings in four outings, and then walked 12 in 16 1/3 innings in his next four outings, including the one he left after an inning. It's No. 2 starter stuff, and he showed that kind of command and control earlier this season before the latest injury. I do have doubts about him holding up, given the whole operation.' The injury is a big blow for a Nationals' organization that has a strong core of position players at or near the big leagues but is lacking top-shelf pitching behind ace MacKenzie Gore. It's been a disappointing season for a club that was hoping to take a step forward this year but instead is in last place in the National League East with a 43-62 record. The Nationals recently fired long-time president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ex-MLB player Darin Ruf sues Reds, claims their uncovered tarp caused his career-ending injury
Former MLB player Darin Ruf is suing the the Cincinnati Reds over a tarp he claims caused his career-ending injury two years ago, according to the Associated Press. The lawsuit was reportedly filed Thursday in the Hamilton County (Ohio) Court of Common Pleas. It reportedly accuses the Reds of negligence for failing to maintain safe field conditions, specifically noting the risks presented by an unpadded metal tarp roller at Great American Ball Park. Ruf encountered that tarp while playing first base for the Milwaukee Brewers on June 2, 2023. He tracked a foul ball toward the first-base stands and hit the tarp hard, leaving him with a deep laceration in his right knee and a non-displaced patella fracture. His lawsuit reportedly describes the damage as 'permanent and substantial deformities to his knee.' Darin Ruf is suing the Reds for damages after he suffered a career-ending injury crashing into an uncovered tarp roller at Great American Ball Park.(🎥: @CBoxMedia2024) — Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) May 23, 2025 Ruf attempted to return later that season, hitting .120 in seven games on a rehab assignment with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, but never played another MLB game again. He did not sign with a team after becoming a free agent that winter. He now blames the Reds for leaving a large metal object in the field of play, via the AP: 'This didn't need to happen,' Ruf said in a statement. 'I wish it didn't happen. Players shouldn't have to worry about hidden hazards like that on a major league field.' His lawyer said the same: 'This was an obvious and avoidable risk,' Tad Thomas, Ruf's attorney, said in a release announcing the lawsuit. 'There are basic safety protocols every MLB team should follow. Leaving an unpadded metal roller on the edge of the field is inexcusable.' Ruf played a total of nine seasons total in his MLB career. He began his career mostly as a bench bat at the corners for the Philadelphia Phillies before moving to South Korea's KBO and finding immense success with the Samsung Lions. That success continued upon Ruf's return to MLB, as he enjoyed the two best seasons of his career with the San Francisco Giants in 2021. He was one of many overperforming bats that powered the Giants to a 107-win season that unseated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. Ruf struggled after that, in stints with the Giants, Brewers and New York Mets across 2022 and 2023. It was unclear how much further he could have gone while hitting .224 in his age-36 season, but no player wants to end his career like he did.
