The Houston Astros selected Tennessee outfielder Drew Gilbert in the first round (28th overall pick) of the 2022 MLB Draft on July 17. He’s already playing games in the Houston farm system for the Single-A Fayetteville Woodpeckers, and on Saturday evening, he suffered an injury on a scary play.
Gilbert reportedly crashed into the outfield wall and was carted off the field with an injury.
1st Round pick Drew Gilbert just crashed into the wall hard in tonight’s game… had to be carted off the field pic.twitter.com/TWQloWPftW
— Chris Welch (@Chris_Welch_27) August 13, 2022
Drew Gilbert crashed hard into the fence in left center field. Tried to walk off the field but ended up being carted off. Not good.
— Astros Future (@AstrosFuture) August 13, 2022
The Astros have announced that it’s a “right forearm injury” and Gilbert is undergoing further evaluation.
Drew Gilbert has a right forearm injury and is undergoing further evaluation, according to the Astros.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) August 13, 2022
This was just Gilbert’s 10th minor-league game (six for Fayetville and four in rookie ball), so that’s a really unfortunate start to his professional career.
Gilbert has a .313/.405/.531 slash line with six stolen bases so far in the minors.
Drew Gilbert, the @astros' first-round Draft pick (No. 28 overall), connects on his first Single-A homer for the @WoodpeckersNC. pic.twitter.com/Cmm5WrqgkY
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 11, 2022
FanGraphs ranked Gilbert as the 16th overall prospect in the 2022 draft, and ranks him as the No. 5 prospect in the Astros’ farm system. The former Vols star is viewed as an advanced prospect with all-around abilities that could be a fast-mover in the Houston system.
But, in order to move quickly through the Astros’ system, Gilbert will need to stay healthy. Hopefully, this arm injury isn’t serious.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.