SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Rangers top prospect Sebastian Walcott -- No. 7 overall, per MLB Pipeline -- has a UCL tear in his right elbow and will miss most, if not all, of the 2026 season, president of baseball operations Chris Young told reporters on Thursday morning.
Walcott will undergo surgery performed by team physician Dr. Keith Meister in the coming days, but it’s unclear if it will be an internal brace or a full Tommy John surgery. After the procedure is completed, there will be a more concrete timeline, but it’s worth noting that position players typically recover more quickly than pitchers after UCL surgery. A late 2026 return is not outside the realm of possibility, but it’s more likely that Walcott will make an appearance in the Arizona Fall League or Winter Leagues.
The 19-year-old Walcott was shut down after just one game in the AFL due to arm fatigue, but imaging at the time came back clean and he was prescribed rest and rehab for the remainder of the offseason. He was in a good spot until he began to feel increased soreness as the throwing ramped up once he got to Arizona for Spring Training.
“It's obviously not what we wanted to start camp,” Young said. “We were optimistic and hopeful, but again, I think the big picture outlook is that this is a very special player who is going to have a long, successful career. We're going to get him right. We do a great job, especially with elbow injuries, and he'll be better for it. He's just a special, special person. I hate it for him, but I also know the experience of this is going to make him a better person and a better player in the long term.”
Walcott signed with Texas for $3.2 million out of the Bahamas in January 2023, and he has been the crown jewel of the farm system for the last few seasons. He has been promoted aggressively and slashed .255/.355/.386 with 13 homers and 32 steals at Double-A Frisco as one of the youngest players at the level in 2025.
Walcott has plenty of offensive upside due to his elite bat speed and solid bat-to-ball skills. While he could cut down on the swing-and-miss, he was able to post career bests in walk rate (13 percent) and strikeout rate (20 percent) last season. The hope was that he would open the season at Triple-A Round Rock with an outside shot at his MLB debut in 2026.
Although there are questions about his long-term defensive home, the youngster has drawn rave reviews for his arm strength. He’s one of only six ranked infield prospects to earn a 70 grade from MLB Pipeline on the 20-80 scouting scale and received consideration for the best overall arm.
COMPLETE RANGERS PROSPECT COVERAGE
Some evaluators believed he had the abilities to eventually be the top prospect in baseball. Whether that happens will have to wait another year.
“Sebastian's a freak talent, but he's also a really good kid,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “He’s very mature for his age. What he was able to accomplish at the Double-A level reminded me a lot of a kid that we had in San Diego, [Fernando Tatis Jr.], when I was going through the system, just with the physical ability to take over a game. He's just that type of kid who's still growing.
"This is just a small blip on the radar in his career. This doesn't change what we think of him. He's going to be a big part of what we do in the next upcoming years.”