Baltimore Orioles: Prospect Hunter Harvey to could resume throwing next week

Baltimore Orioles third-ranked pitching prospect Hunter Harvey could be back to throwing next week as he recovers from Tommy John.

According to a report by Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun, prospect Hunter Harvey could start throwing as soon as next week. The Orioles’ number-three prospect according to MLB.com, underwent the ligament-replacement surgery in July. It has been a bumpy road so far for Harvey, the right-hander drafted in the first round out of high school in 2013.

Parts or all of Harvey’s last three seasons have been lost to injury. He was shut down at the end of the 2014 season with elbow soreness. In Spring Training of 2015, he suffered a fractured leg bone while fielding a comebacker. When he recovered from the broken bone, more elbow soreness flared up before Harvey pitched in a live game.

He made five total starts last year in rookie ball and Low-A before the elbow soreness that had been festering for three years turned into something worse.

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As Harvey resumes throwing, he will progress slowly. According to his father, former All-Star closer Brian Harvey, his son will begin with light throwing up to 45 feet and continue at that distance for about a month. From there, Harvey will progress to long tossing for a few months before eventually getting back to the mound. Five months out from his surgery, the right-hander is right on track with the typical 12-18 month rehab.

If everything goes exactly according to plan, Harvey could pitch in the minors at the tail end of the 2017 season, but that would be extremely aggressive. Given all of the troubles the Orioles have had keeping pitching prospects healthy, it is far more likely that Harvey will not pitch in a live game until the 2018 season. The Orioles finally got Dylan Bundy through an entire year without an injury, and brought him along very slowly.

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In his first three professional seasons, Harvey has shown great promise. In 125.2 total innings, he has a 2.79 ERA and has struck out 11.2 per nine. He has an outstanding fastball that hovers in the mid-90s that is complimented nicely by a plus-plus curveball. The changeup is still a work in progress. Harvey still has plenty of time on his side, even considering all of the development lost to injuries. Given his strikeout potential and slight build, a move to the bullpen down the road would not surprise.