James Kaprielian (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

Sad news for Yankee fans, as James Kaprielian will lose his second consecutive season with elbow problems, this time with much more severity. Kaprielian will go under the knife on April 18 to repair his UCL. The dreaded name no pitcher ever wants to hear “Tommy John”.

The Yankees top pitching prospect and No. 5 overall prospect will forfeit the season to hopefully prevent further elbow problems down the road. The 2015 1st round pick has never thrown more then 18 innings in a season since being drafted. He still ranks as the Yankees top pitching prospect because of his immense upside. He has recently drawn comparisons to Jacob deGrom.

Hopefully the talented prospect will have a full and speedy recovery so that he can get back on the fast track to Yankee Stadium next season.