Leodalis De Vries’ first season of pro ball has likely come to an end.
The 17-year-old shortstop has been diagnosed with a right shoulder strain that will sideline him for at least a couple of weeks. The Padres are not absolutely ruling out a return this season, but the calendar is working against De Vries if he’s going to recover and build back up before the end of the regular season on Sept. 8 or the start of the California League playoffs on Sept. 10.
No. 47 in MLB.com’s top-100 prospect rankings, De Vries could also be a candidate for the Arizona Fall League given his start in professional baseball.
De Vries exited Saturday’s game with discomfort in his right (throwing) shoulder after making a diving play in the field and returned to San Diego for imaging.
The switch-hitter also missed time earlier in the season with an issue with his left shoulder.
If his season has come it an end, it’s truly been a whirlwind introduction for the Padres’ top signee from the 2024 international class.
De Vries signed for $4.2 million in January, was playing alongside big-leaguers in camp games in March and made his professional debut with the Storm in April as the youngest player in the California League.
He hit .238/.361/.442 with 11 homers, 38 RBIs and 13 steals in 75 games, although he really took off after an acclimation period that included dealing with a left shoulder issue.
De Vries hit his first home run on June 26, the start of a 40-game stretch that saw him hit .275/.400/.563 to cement himself as one of the top prospects in the game alongside Padres catching prospect Ethan Salas (20).
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