Avery Weems has Tommy John surgery

Avery Weems, minor league lefthanded pitcher in the Texas Rangers system, has undergone Tommy John surgery, Weems announced on Instagram. He will miss the 2023 season.

Weems, 25, was a 6th round pick out of the University of Arizona in 2019 by the Chicago White Sox. He was acquired by the Rangers, along with Dane Dunning, in the trade that sent Lance Lynn to Chicago after the 2020 season.

Weems spent the 2022 season with the Frisco Roughriders, where he had a 5.14 ERA in 91 innings spanning 17 starts and nine relief appearances, with 107 Ks against 32 walks. Weems was Rule 5 eligible this past offseason, but was not selected in the Rule 5 Draft.

Weems seemed to project as a reliever, and this injury would seem to make that path all the more likely. There was some thought that he could be a potential relief option in the majors this year — however, with the surgery, he likely wouldn’t be up before 2025 at the earliest.