Westmoreland to Undergo Brain Surgery

Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports that Red Sox outfielder Ryan Westmoreland is out indefinitely with a cavernous malformation in his brain that will require surgery.

A 5th round pick out of a Rhode Island High School in 2008, Westmoreland is widely regarded as the top prospect in the Red Sox organization. Baseball Prospectus listed him as the 14th best prospect in the game, Mayo had him at #27 and I ranked him at #21 on my top 100 prospects list that will be released later this week.

Westmoreland's only limitation as a pro has been his inability to stay healthy. An arm injury limited him to DH for most of last season and he broke his collarbone shortly after his return to the field. This unrelated health issue puts his baseball injuries into prospective. While it would be a shame if the career of this talented teenager gets derailed before it leaves the station, this type of medical issue could have been truly tragic if undetected or untreated.