It has been an awful season for the Washington Nationals organization, and it just got even worse today. Travis Sykora, the top prospect in the organization will be undergoing Tommy John Surgery, after an MRI revealed he has a torn UCL.
Nationals’ top pitching prospect Travis Sykora needs Tommy John surgery, the team just revealed. Big blow for a guy who possibly was poised to reach the majors sometime in 2026.
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) July 28, 2025
Sykora had an electric start to his pro career, but that is now on halt. This season he
struck out 79 batters in 45.1 innings, pitching to a 1.79 ERA across multiple levels. Sykora was a third round pick in 2023, signing to an over slot deal.
He has been a tremendous investment for the Nats, as he has turned himself into one of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball. Sykora has a devastating three pitch mix. He can over power hitters with an upper 90’s fastball, but also has a plus slider and splitter to go with it.
For a guy with great stuff, Sykora also has advanced pitchability. While he sometimes has some walk issues, he is usually around the zone and does a great job getting chase. He has looked like the whole package so far in his professional career.
The Nats have dealt with a lot of arm related injuries this year, starting with DJ Herz and now having Sykora go down. It is rough timing too because this likely means that Sykora will be out all of next season as well as the remainder of this year.
We are unlikely to see Sykora again until 2027. With the way Cade Cavalli has struggled to bounce back from the surgery, you hope Sykora can come back as the same guy that dominated the Minor Leagues.
According to reports, Sykora is scheduled to undergo the surgery in a couple of weeks. This has been such a disastrous year for the Nats, that this is a fitting cherry on top. The big league team has floundered and now their top prospect is out until 2027. It has been that kind of year for the Washington Nationals.
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