Red Sox two-way prospect Conrad Cason undergoes Tommy John surgery

Red Sox two-way prospect Conrad Cason underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery on Thursday to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow, as he revealed on Instagram.

Cason, who turned 19 earlier this month, is currently ranked by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 28 prospect; MLB Pipeline has him at No. 26 and SoxProspects.com at No. 27. The Georgia native was selected by the Red Sox in the eighth round (237th overall) of the 2024 draft out of Greater Atlanta Christian School, where he both pitched and played shortstop. He forwent his commitment to Mississippi State by signing for an over-slot $1.25 million last July, but did not make his professional debut until this May.

Cason appeared in two games for the rookie-level Florida Complex League Red Sox (one as a pitcher, the other as a DH) on May 3 and May 5, respectively. On the mound, the right-hander struck out five and walked one over two scoreless innings in which he reached 97 mph with his fastball against the FCL Twins. Two days later, the right-handed hitter went 1-for-4 with an RBI single and two strikeouts out of the three-hole against the FCL Braves.

It was not long after that Cason began experiencing arm fatigue, which resulted in his being shut down from baseball activities for an extended period. The athletic 6-foot-1, 190-pounder resumed swinging and got into a hitting progression in June, but his arm fatigue evolved into an elbow soreness that ultimately required him to go under the knife.

With Thursday’s procedure now in the rearview mirror, Cason faces a unique recovery and rehabilitation timetable moving forward. As noted by The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, Cason could return to action at least as a position player (or DH) as soon as next year. A potential timetable for his return to the mound, however, is less clear given the number of obstacles that are involved in that process.

Taking that into consideration, the Red Sox may decide that it would be in Cason’s best interest to choose one avenue and develop solely as just a pitcher or just a position player once he clears all of the hurdles that are coming his way.