One of the top prospects for the Minnesota Twins, third baseman Miguel Sano, has been cleared to start throwing.
Sano has been out since undergoing Tommy John surgery on his elbow, March 12th. He is expected to begin throwing Tuesday in Ft. Myers, according to the Pioneer Press.
Sano received medical clearance Monday from New York Mets team physician Dr. David Altchek, who performed his surgery.
Twinsights: Miguel Sano cleared to start throwing program following March Tommy John surgery. #mntwinshttp://t.co/JxsUiJaRPc
— Mike BerardinoNDI (@MikeBerardino) July 7, 2014
Sano’s agent, Rob Plummer, told the Pioneer Press the visit with Dr. Altchek went great, adding that it will still be another month before Sano is cleared to begin swinging a bat.
“He said his right elbow now looks stronger than his left,” Plummer told the Star Tribune.
Despite the injury, Sano is still one of the Twins’ top prospects. He is the second-highest ranked Twins prospect, but slipped from the No. 5 spot to the No. 9 spot in Baseball America’s Midseason Top 50 released earlier today.
Whether or not Sano will be able to return as a late-season DH in the minor leagues is still up in the air, but the Twins are hoping for that. He will be allowed to participate in offseason leagues like the Arizona Fall League and the Dominican Winter League to get a few extra at bats.
