NEW YORK -- One of the silver linings of the Mets' season, pitching prospect Franklyn Kilome, will miss the entire 2019 campaign. The Mets announced Thursday that Kilome, their fifth-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, underwent Tommy John surgery this week.
Part of the Mets' next upcoming wave of pitching prospects, Kilome, 23, posted a 4.03 ERA at Double-A Binghamton, with 42 strikeouts in 38 innings after the club acquired him from the Phillies for second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera in July. Overall, the hard-throwing Kilome produced a 4.18 ERA in 26 starts for the Mets' and Phillies' Double-A teams.
Four of the Mets' top six pitching prospects have now undergone Tommy John surgery in the past two years. Seventh-ranked prospect Anthony Kay returned to the field this summer following his 2016 surgery, while ninth-ranked prospect Thomas Szapucki and 13th-ranked Jordan Humphreys have yet to do so after their 2017 operations.
Kilome profiles as the brightest of the bunch, capable of throwing consistently in the upper 90s. Tommy John surgery typically carries a 12- to 18-month recovery, putting Kilome on track to return to Minor League play in 2020.

• Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes delayed his second (left) heel surgery due to a scheduling conflict, but he expects to have it done by the end of next week, according to multiple sources. Cespedes remains on track to begin baseball activities in late February or early March, though he does not anticipate being able to run full-speed at that time.