Red Sox Pitching Prospect Bryan Mata Resumes Throwing After UCL Tear

Bryan Mata is on the mend.

Mata, the consensus top pitching prospect in the Red Sox farm system, resumed throwing near the end of spring training, Boston manager Alex Cora revealed Sunday morning. The 21-year-old suffered a slight UCL tear in his throwing elbow during camp, forcing the Red Sox to shut him down.

“I’m not sure where he’s at in terms of (distance), but I know he started his throwing program when we left camp,” Cora said, via MassLive’s Chris Cotillo.

UCL tears sometimes are repaired via Tommy John Surgery. For now, the Red Sox are pursuing a different path with Mata.

“The doctors and the physicians feel like it’s small enough that we think with treatment and doing that, he should be fine,” Cora said in early March.

Mata, who will turn 22 in May, made 11 starts for Double-A Portland in 2019, posting a 5.03 ERA. He, like most minor leaguers, saw his 2020 season wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more on Mata, read our Red Sox Prospects Series profile via the link below.