Nick Burdi To Have Tommy John Surgery

Hard-throwing Twins righthander Nick Burdi will have Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, Baseball America correspondent Mike Berardino reports.

Burdi pitched just three innings last season before a bone bruise on his right arm ended his season. He pitched 17 innings this season, allowed nine hits and struck out 20 before tearing his ulnar collateral ligament. At his best, Burdi, combines a high-90s fastball that touches triple-digits with a hard-biting slider and a developing changeup.

Burdi was the Twins’ second-round pick out of Louisville in 2014. His brother, Zack, was the White Sox’s first-round pick last season, also out of Louisville. Nick Burdi was the first of a run of four consecutive college relievers picked after the team’s first-round selection, shortstop Nick Gordon, in 2014. After Burdi, Minnesota took San Diego’s Michael Cederoth, Georgia Tech’s Sam Clay and Oregon’s Jake Reed.

Burdi ranked as the Twins’ No. 15 prospect this season.