The Orioles received tough news this afternoon – pitching prospect Hunter Harvey will be sidelined four to six weeks with a slight fracture of his right fibula, Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said.
Harvey, the club's top pick in 2013, was pitching in a minor league exhibition game Saturday when a come-backer struck him in the right leg and forced him to leave the game.
X-Rays taken Saturday came back negative, and Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he was told Harvey was ""walking around like nothing" on Sunday morning.
But a precautionary CT scan showed the slight break.
Harvey, 20, is ranked as the second best prospect in the Orioles organization, behind only Dylan Bundy. The 6-foot-4 right-hander was 7-5 with a 3.18 ERA in 17 starts at Low-A Delmarva last year before being shut down in late July after straining his right flexor mass muscle.
The son of former big league closer Bryan Harvey, Hunter Harvey was signed to a $1.95 million bonus after being selected with the 22nd overall pick in 2013. He has a 2.87 ERA as a pro and was likely ticketed for High-A Frederick.