Orioles pitching prospect Hunter Harvey out for season with elbow injury

Multiple sources are reporting that Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Hunter Harvey has soreness in his right elbow and will be shut down for the remainder of the 2014 season. Orioles GM Dan Duquette told reporters that Harvey is suffering from elbow inflammation, but an MRI and an examination conducted by team physician Dr. Michael Jacobs discovered no actual ligament tear or serious tissue damage. Harvey will be sidelined for the rest of the campaign, in order to rest his arm and rehabilitate the elbow without surgery.

Drafted in the first round last June from high school in Catawba, North Carolina, Hunter has had a very successful campaign for Low-A Delmarva in the South Atlantic League, posting a 3.18 ERA with a 106/33 K/BB ratio in 87.2 innings with 66 hits allowed.

His name has popped up in trade deadline rumors, although it was never clear if the Orioles were actually willing to trade him. Any chance that they would do so seems even more remote now. The injury to Harvey, along with the erratic results thus far from Tommy John survivor Dylan Bundy, could have ripple effects and make the Orioles less likely to part with additional young talent.