Phillies pitcher Vince Velasquez will undergo surgery to repair a vascular issue with his right middle finger. It’ll end his season.
The issue, according to Pete Mackanin, has been clogging blood flow to Velasquez’s middle finger, causing a numbness he has been experiencing on and off for some time. It’s shown up in his performance as well, helping him to a 2-7 record and a 5.13 ERA in 15 starts this year. The right-hander missed a month and a half earlier this season with a right elbow flexor strain.
Velasquez, the top prospect coming to the Phillies from the Astros in the Ken Giles trade a couple of years back, has shown some fantastic upside at times, but health issues and inconsistency have derailed him of late. The surgery he’s undergoing is not said to be major and he should be ready for spring training. How he fits in the Phillies’ plans going forward, however, is an open question.