Injury to Padres' star young talent means end of season

Leodalis De Vries, the Padres' most promising young player, has suffered an injury that will likely end his outstanding rookie season prematurely.

After diving for a punt in Saturday's Single-A Lake Elsinore game against the Inland Empire 66ers, De Vries, MLB's most promising player, suffered an injury that forced him to leave the game early. After further imaging tests, it was determined that De Vries had sustained a shoulder strain in his right (throwing) arm.

Although the franchise still hopes the 17-year-old shortstop could return before the end of the season, the diagnosis will keep him off the field for at least a couple of weeks. The timing of this injury is unfortunate, as the regular season ends in less than three weeks on September 8. Additionally, the California League playoffs begin two days later on September 10, so it will be difficult for De Vries to recover and get back into shape in time for the postseason.

However, the success De Vries had before his injury could make him a contender for MLB's annual Arizona Fall League. This would give De Vries a few extra months to recover before returning to the field.

The right shoulder strain is De Vries' second shoulder injury of the season. Earlier this season, De Vries battled a left shoulder injury that caused problems at the batting pit. But once healthy, the Dominican native showed the hitting skills that earned him the title of best international prospect, posting a batting average of .284/.407/.589 in July and August.

The Padres signed De Vries in January for $4.2 million, which was the second-highest international signing bonus of the year. After the signing, the switch-hitter immediately moved from the complex leagues to the Single-A league this summer. Given the investment the Padres made to sign De Vries, the franchise will likely take his recovery process slowly to ensure he doesn't return to the field prematurely.

Overall, De Vries hit .237/.361/.441 with an OPS of .802 that season. He also had 38 RBIs, 11 home runs, 63 runs and 132 total bases. He started all 75 games he appeared in, including 58 as a shortstop and 17 as a designated hitter.

Even though De Vries' first professional season is over, he has already established himself as one of the Padres' most promising talents and is showing signs of becoming a major league player in the future.