Friday on the Farm: Tough news on the injury front as Aaron Zavala has elbow surgery

(Frisco RoughRiders)

The Rangers expect outfield prospect Aaron Zavala to be a full-go by mid-May after the 2021 second-round draft pick underwent surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow.

Zavala was playing in the Arizona Fall League when he felt his elbow grab on a throw from right field. He did not have traditional Tommy John surgery, which replaces the UCL and requires a year of rehab. Instead, Dr. Keith Meister repaired with injury last week with a brace, similar to the surgery Eli White had in 2021.

Rangers general manager Chris Young was hesitant to say if Zavala could return to games sooner at designated hitter, but the silver lining is that Zavala should get a decent workload despite the injury.

“It’s more or less positive news on that front,” Young said.