Cubs don't plan to shut down Duane Underwood Jr. after MRI

Share

NEW YORK — The Cubs received relatively good news on Duane Underwood Jr. — or at least didn’t hear the worst-case scenario with their prized pitching prospect.

The Cubs don’t anticipate Underwood needing Tommy John surgery at this point, a team source said Wednesday, after an MRI on his right elbow revealed inflammation but no structural damage.

The plan is for Underwood to rest before resuming his throwing program. The Cubs aren’t prepared to shut down his season on July 1.

[SHOP CUBS: Get your Cubs gear right here]

Underwood is 6-3 with a 2.66 ERA in 12 starts for advanced Class-A Myrtle Beach. His strikeout-to-walk ratio — 42-20 — isn’t off the charts through 64-plus innings. But he won’t turn 21 until July 20, and the Cubs saw enough raw stuff and potential to make him a second-round pick in the 2012 draft.

The Cubs project Underwood as a possible big-league starter and don’t have that many arms of that caliber in their farm system.

Underwood had posted a message through his personal Twitter account on Tuesday: “Just landed in chi town for this mri! Boi I ain’t never been so nervous in my life haha.”

Contact Us