Minnesota Twins prospect Miguel Sano underwent successful Tommy John surgery Wednesday on his right elbow, a team official confirmed.
Sano, 20, had the procedure done by Dr. David Altchek in New York. The surgery repaired Sano's partially torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right throwing elbow. He is expected to need between four and five months of rehab before he will be able to swing a bat.
Sano, ranked as the No. 6 prospect by Baseball America, first experienced elbow issues in November but opted to first try rehabbing the elbow instead of surgery. When the pain resurfaced during an intrasquad game on Feb. 27, Sano had his elbow examined again. It was revealed that the tear had not improved at all, so Sano and the Twins announced that he would undergo Tommy John surgery.
It was unlikely that Sano -- who hit 35 total home runs at two minor league levels last year -- was going to make the Twins' 25-man roster out of spring training, but it was possible that the Dominican native would have debuted at some point in 2014. It remains to be seen how his surgery and subsequent recovery will delay his path to the majors in 2015.
Prior to his procedure on Wednesday, Sano recorded a video message for fans.
"Thank you to everyone who has sent their wishes for good health," the subtitles of the video read. "I know a lot of you wanted to see me in the Big Leagues this year, in 2014. But they told me I will recuperate very soon."
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