Texas Rangers Pitcher Undergoes Surgery

The Texas Rangers will be without one of their young starting pitching prospects for some time, following surgery to repair a torn meniscus. 

Rangers No. 28 prospect Ricky
Vanasco injured his knee fielding a ground ball in his final spring start last week.

He had surgery to repair his meniscus and will be out for 4-6 weeks.

— kennedi landry (@kennlandry) March 29, 2023

Right-hander Ricky Vanasco injured his knee fielding a ground ball in his final spring start. The surgery will keep him out for four-to-six weeks.  

It's another tough break for Vanasco, who had Tommy John surgery to wipe out his 2021 season, and of course missed the 2020 season in the minors, as did everyone, due to the pandemic. 

Despite being a 15th-round pick, he's a top-30 prospect in the organization, and the Rangers think enough of Vanasco to have added him to their 40-man roster to avoid having him selected in the Rule 5 draft.

In 2022, his first year back from Tommy John, he posted a 4.68 ERA in 23 starts across High-A and Double-A, but struck out an impressive 11.5 batters per nine innings. 

Photo: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports