Former Rays top pick Brendan McKay undergoes surgery

Former top draft pick Brendan McKay continues to deal with medical issues for the Tampa Bay Rays.

McKay was a two-way star in college at Louisville and became the No. 4 overall pick by the Rays in 2017. He dominated as a pitcher in the minors and struggled as a hitter.

In 2019, McKay made his MLB debut and went 2-4 with a 5.14 ERA. He also batted .200 with a home run in 10 at-bats.

But McKay only pitched 12.2 innings in the minors last season as he recovered from labrum surgery on his pitching shoulder. Now the southpaw is undergoing thoracic outlet syndrome decompression surgery. The Rays say McKay should be ready to pitch for spring training.

#Rays announced LHP Brendan McKay underwent thoracic outlet syndrome decompression surgery Tuesday. Will rehab as a pitcher, and per team “is expected to resume throwing no later than early Feb. with goal to be in a throwing and mound progression at start of spring training.”

— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) November 25, 2021

The Rays have made the postseason three straight years and reached the World Series in 2020. They’ve done all this despite having limited-to-no contributions from McKay, a player of whom they have had high expectations. If he’s able to recover and be at full strength next season, that would be a huge boost.

The 25-year-old has gone 12-2 with a 1.78 ERA during his minor league career across all levels.

Photo: Aug 19, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Brendan McKay (49) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports