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Boston Red Sox Prospects Matt Duffy, Cole Tolbert to Undergo Tommy John Surgery

Originally posted on Minor League Baseball on SI
By Sam Connon | Last updated Feb 24, 2025 10:33 AM ET

The lower levels of the Boston Red Sox's farm system just took a pretty substantial hit.

According to Beyond the Monster's Andrew Parker , pitching prospect Matt Duffy suffered a full UCL tear in his right elbow and will undergo Tommy John surgery on March 5. That same day, fellow pitching prospect Cole Tolbert will have a Tommy John procedure of his own after also tearing his UCL.

As a result, both right-handers are expected to miss the entire 2025 season.

Duffy, 23, and Tolbert, 22, both finished 2024 with Single-A Salem.

Red Sox minor league injury news:

Pitcher Matt Duffy has a full tear of his UCL and will undergo Tommy John surgery on March 5th.

2024 draft pick Cole Tolbert also has a UCL tear and will be having Tommy John surgery the same day.
— Andrew Parker (@ByAndrewParker) February 23, 2025

Duffy, who was set to transfer from Canisius College to South Carolina, wound up going to the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft. The Canadian went 4-5 with a 2.83 ERA, 1.095 WHIP and 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings across 21 starts and one relief appearance in 2024 – his first full season as a pro.

Boston selected Tolbert in the 18th round of the 2024 MLB Draft, just before he could complete his transfer from Ole Miss to Troy. He tossed just 11.1 innings as a pro last summer, going 0-1 with a 5.56 ERA, 1.500 WHIP and 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings.

Neither Duffy nor Tolbert are ranked as top-60 prospect in Boston's farm system by SoxProspects.com. Still, Duffy especially had showed promise and was expected to ascend to the higher levels of the minors in short order.

This article first appeared on Minor League Baseball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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