The Orioles have shut down phenom hurler Dylan Bundy because of some "mild" tightness in his right elbow. Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports that an MRI showed no structural damage but the O's have opted for the conservative approach.
"We're just being cautious to shut him down until the muscle tightness goes away," said Brian Graham, the Orioles' director of player development. "He'll start back with a throwing program and evaluate it from there. We really don't know what day he's going to pitch. It's all based on how he feels when he's throwing again."
The 20-year-old future ace, who's widely regarded as the top pitching prospect in all of baseball, is coming off a debut season in which he posted a 2.08 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 4.25 K/BB ratio across three minor-league levels. Bundy also turned in a pair of scoreless relief appearances for Baltimore following a September call-up. He's expected to reach the bigs for good at some point this season. This situation, however, certainly bears monitoring.
