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Sebastian Walcott, top Texas Rangers prospect, could miss 2026 with elbow injury

8 hours ago

The best outlook for Sebastian Walcott is that he will collect some at-bats late in the 2026 season after undergoing elbow surgery early in Texas Rangers spring training (Frisco RoughRiders).

One of the top prospects in baseball, Sebastian Walcott, needs elbow surgery that could keep him out all season, Texas Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said.

SURPRISE, Ariz. — The injury bug that has collected some of the game’s top players also swallowed up the Texas Rangers‘ top prospect.

Sebastian Walcott, ranked as high as the sixth-best prospect in baseball, has an elbow injury that will require surgery in the coming days, and he could miss the entire 2026 season.

Team physician Dr. Keith Meister will perform the surgery, which could be either the internal-brace procedure or full-blown Tommy John. Walcott could return sooner with the brace option.

The most optimistic outcome is that Walcott is cleared to hit late in the season and would continue gathering at-bats in the Arizona Fall League or in winter ball, president of baseball operations Chris Young said.

Walcott was shut down early in the Fall League in 2025 with what was called arm fatigue.

“He was in a good spot coming into camp,” Young said. “As you know, the throwing intensity ramps up, and you just never know until you start pushing a little bit. Unfortunately, it flared back up.

“He’s so important to us. His future is so bright. We want to make sure we get this right right now.”

Walcott was not competing for a big-league roster spot and might have started the season back at Double A Frisco, where he turned in an above league-average campaign last season as a 19-year-old. He turns 20 on March 14.

He will return to Arizona after the surgery in Arlington and still spend time around big-league players. He could gather information from shortstop Corey Seager, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018 and returned fully healthy in 2019.

But the Rangers are disappointed that Walcott’s development will be stalled this spring.

“I wanted to see him play. That’s just the honest truth,” manager Skip Schumaker said. “As much as it sucks for us, it really stinks for him, and I feel bad for him. But he’s the type of player, he has a type of makeup that he’s going to be back quick.”

Jeff Wilson, jwilson@alldlls.com