Bryce Montes de Oca underwent Tommy John surgery, to miss 2023 season

While undergoing arthroscopic surgery to remove bone fragments in his right elbow, it was discovered that Bryce Montes de Oca had a ‘loose’ UCL, and required Tommy John Surgery. This is his second Tommy John Surgery, and he will miss the entire 2023 season.

Montes de Oca, a ninth round draft pick in the 2018 draft, made his MLB debut last September and made three appearances for the Mets. He was named the #19 prospect in the system on this year’s Amazin’ Avenue prospects list. Here is part of our writeup for him:

Standing 6’7” and weighing 265-pounds, Montes de Oca is an imposing sight on the mound. Earlier in his career, his hat would fall off of his head after virtually every pitch, adding to the mystique. He throws from a three-quarters arm slot, dropping and driving off of the mound with some violence. His arm action is quick and whip-like, with a soft stab in the back of his arm circle. His mechanics are simple and should be repeatable, but like other tall pitchers, he has trouble doing so, contributing to control problems.

His fastball sits in the sits in the low-to-mid-90s, touching the high-90s and has triple-digits with regularity. His long arms and long stride give his pitches a higher perceived velocity and his arm slot gives the pitch late life and sink. He complements the fastball with a power slider and a cutter. The slider sits in the mid-80s and flashes being an above average to plus pitch when he can keep its shape tight. His cutter sits in the mid-90s. Montes de Oca occasionally threw a high-80s-to-low-90s changeup in college but has more or less shelved the pitch as a professional.