Banda (elbow) will be forced to undergo Tommy John surgery, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
This is a brutal blow for Banda and the Rays, as the southpaw is now the team's third advanced pitching prospect (Brent Honeywell, Jose De Leon) to require Tommy John surgery this year. Banda, who headlined the package of players the Rays received in return for Steven Souza (pectoral), had compiled a solid 3.64 ERA across eight starts (42 innings) with Triple-A Durham prior to suffering the injury. He also posted a 3.68 ERA across 14.2 innings (one start, two relief appearances) with the big club. The 23-year-old lefty will now embark on a long recovery process that will likely keep him sidelined until 2020.