Twins' top pitching prospect Kyle Gibson to undergo Tommy John surgery

The Minnesota Twins will likely have to wait until 2013 for the debut of their top pitching prospect.

The team announced Thursday that right-hander Kyle Gibson will undergo Tommy John surgery on Sept. 7 to repair his ailing right elbow. The surgery will be performed in New York by Dr. David Altchek -- the same doctor who performed Joe Nathan's surgery in 2010.

"Gibson has completed the initial phase of the rehab program at our training facilities in Fort Myers," general manager Bill Smith said in an email on Thursday. "Based on the results, and in consultation with Kyle and our medical staff, the best treatment is to proceed with ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction."

Gibson, 23, posted a 4.81 ERA with 91 strikeouts and 27 walks in 95 1/3 innings for Triple-A Rochester this season, but he struggled to pitch beyond five or six innings in the majority of his starts.

Heading into this season, Gibson was rated by Baseball America as the 34th-best prospect in baseball.

Phil Mackey is a columnist for 1500ESPN.com. He co-hosts "Reusse & Mackey" weekdays from 4 to 6pm on 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
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