St. Louis Cardinals top prospect Oscar Taveras will have season-ending ankle surgery next week, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch.
Oscar Taveras injury: Cardinals OF prospect to have ankle surgery, out for year
The top prospect in the Cardinals’ system heading into 2013 won’t get a chance to make his big-league debut until next year after electing to end his season by undergoing surgery to correct a nagging ankle ailment.
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Taveras originally injured his ankle in May and played through the pain, but has appeared in just one game since June 23 while trying to heal via resting. The surgical procedure is expected to allow Taveras a full recovery in time for the 2014 season, per Langosch.
The 21-year-old outfielder was ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the Cardinals organization prior to the season, and No. 2 overall in all of baseball, by Minor League Ball’s John Sickels. Taveras hit .306/.341/.462 with five home runs and 32 runs batted in across 186 plate appearances in his first exposure to Triple-A.
Taveras cemented his status as a top prospect by posting a .321/.380/.572 line with 23 home runs as a 20-year-old in Double-A in 2012.
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