Texas Rangers Lose Young Top Pitching Prospect Jose Corniell To Elbow Surgery

The progress of Texas Rangers Top 30 prospect Jose Corniell will be halted as he prepares for elbow surgery.

May 29, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Texas Rangers cap in glove sits in dugout during the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. / Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Jose Corniell, who was one of the most improved pitchers in the Texas Rangers’ organization last year, has been shut down for the rest of 2024 due to impending elbow surgery, per The Dallas Morning News.

It will be ligament surgery, according to the report. But it’s not clear if he’ll have an internal brace procedure or a full reconstruction. Texas Rangers team surgeon Dr. Keith Meister is one of the foremost elbow surgeons in the country and usually performs these surgeries on Rangers players.

The right-hander, who turns 21 on Saturday, was set to start the season with Double-A Frisco, but he was placed on the Roughriders’ 7-day injured list on April 5 and has not pitched this season.

He had risen to No. 7 in MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 prospect rankings for the Rangers. The only pitchers ahead of him are Kumar Rocker (No. 3), who is recovering from Tommy John surgery; Jack Leiter (No. 5), who made his MLB debut earlier this year and is coming off an impressive start with Triple-A Round Rock; and Brock Porter (No. 6), who is with the Arizona Complex League Rangers.

Corniell was named the Nolan Ryan Pitcher of the Year last season after he wowed team scouts at High-A Hickory. He went 8-3 with a 2.92 ERA. He also struck out 119 and walked 31. He walked three fewer hitters in 2023 in 101 2/3 innings than he did in 2022, when he walked 34 hitters in 66 innings.

The Seattle Mariners signed Corniell for $630,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2019. He was later traded to the Rangers in a deal for Rafael Montero. In 2022 with Class-A Down East He went 3-5 with a 5.45 ERA.

6.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 9 K last night for @GoWoodDucks RHP Jose Corniell.

The 19-year-old has a 2.70 ERA with 56 K's over 43.1 IP this season. pic.twitter.com/ZYZDB7aO7r

— Rangers Player Development (@TEXPlayerDev) June 14, 2023