RHP prospect Anderson out with Tommy John surgery, more injury notes

Phillies director of player development confirmed to PhilliesNation’s Jay Floyd on Tuesday that right-handed pitching prospect Drew Anderson will miss the entire season after undergoing Tommy John surgery recently.

Selected in the 21st round of the 2012 draft by the Phillies, the six-foot-three 185-pounder sported a 12-9 record with a 2.97 ERA and a 7.39 K/9 mark through 34 pro games before being sidelined with injury last summer for Class A Lakewood.

The Phillies’ hope was for Anderson was for the 21-year-old to rehab through the ailment, but a setback with his throwing elbow resulted in the need for surgery.

“We knew there was a slight tear in the UCL ligament  and we tried to rehab him through it, but it went ahead and blew (out), so it’s time to fix it,” Jordan stated.

In other injury news, top Phillies prospect J.P. Crawford, who is currently sidelined with an oblique strain, will return to hitting this coming weekend and could return to action in a couple weeks.

“We’re still hopeful that May 1st is realistic, it may be a few days after that,” Jordan stated of a possible activation date for Crawford.  “I think until he ramps up his activity and really swinging the bat and letting it go, until you see how his body responds, you never know for sure.”

Outfielder Kelly Dugan, who is sidelined with a right foot fracture and sent home to California to heal, is set to return to Clearwater to begin rehabbing his injury.

“We were looking at two, two-and-a-half weeks of total inactivity and he could accomplish that back home, so we sent him home.  We scheduled a flight for him today, for sometime in the next couple days to get him back down to Florida and it’s time to start rehabbing him,” Jordan said, offering a possible time frame of a Dugan return to full action as June.

More quotes from Jordan on injured Phillies prospects:

“Victor Arano is a player we got in the trade with the Dodgers last summer and he’s throwing.  He’s real close.  He’s scheduled to be in the Clearwater rotation. He’s up to about four innings, we’re just trying to get him lengthened out.”

“(Shane Watson) is probably at about 30-pitch bullpens right now.  I don’t think we could have drawn up his progress any better than where he is right now.  He looks good, he’s not favoring his shoulder, he’s letting the ball go.

“I think in maybe six weeks, June 1st, first half of June, (Watson)’s going to be pitching in a ballgame somewhere.  It’ll be in extended (spring training) to begin with and if he proves that everything is fine and is responding well and if we don’t have any concerns with him, at some point in time, we’ll get him back (to Lakewood) and we’ll get him going back toward where he needs to go.”