O's prospect Harvey out for season with elbow injury

Hunter Harvey, one of the Orioles top pitching prospects, has been shut down for the season after an MRI done Tuesday revealed he has a strained flexor mass.

The 19-year-old Harvey, who had been experiencing right elbow discomfort, was examined by team orthopedist Dr. Michael Jacobs -- as first reported by MLB.com -- and the results are considered good since there was no ligament damage revealed in Tuesday's tests. Executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette said there is some inflammation in the elbow area and wouldn't expound on how much the injury to Harvey changes potential Orioles trades.

"I need to learn a little more about it," Duquette said of the specific nature of Harvey's injury. "He's had a good year and he has distinguished himself as a top young pitcher. And he needs a rest period."

Harvey, ranked as the Orioles' second-best pitching prospect in the latest MLBPipeline.com rankings, last pitched on Friday and went five innings for Class A Delmarva. The South Atlantic League All-Star, who was the O's first round-pick in last year's First-Year Player Draft, went 7-5 with a 3.18 ERA in 17 starts for Delmarva.

"Yes, obviously [he is coveted by other clubs]," Duquette said, "but he is with the Orioles."

Harvey was recently ranked No. 35 on MLBPipeline.com's midseason update of its Top 100 Prospects list. He's the son of former big leaguer Bryan Harvey, who pitched for the Angels and Marlins and was a two-time American League All-Star.