Oakland Athletics pitching prospect Jesus Luzardo will be shut down for four to six weeks because of a strained rotator cuff in his left shoulder, general manager David Forst told reporters.
Luzardo, who is No. 31 overall and the highest-rated prospect for the A's on ESPN Insider Keith Law's list of the top prospects for 2019, was competing for a spot in the A's starting rotation this spring.
A 21-year-old left-hander, Luzardo went 10-5 with a 2.88 ERA in the minors in 2018, striking out 129 in 109⅓ innings.
"It's too bad, coming into form like he did under some pressure and certainly the microscope," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. "We found out a lot about him, and unfortunately that will be cut short right now. I don't know that anyone performed better for us this spring. But we know what we have down the road -- it's just going to take a little more time at this point."