Blue Jays pitching prospect Eric Pardinho undergoes Tommy John surgery

Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect Eric Pardinho. (Andre Penner/AP)

Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect Eric Pardinho underwent Tommy John surgery Tuesday and will be sidelined until 2021.

Pardinho dealt with elbow tightness in spring training last year, but came through it and logged 37.2 innings split between rookie ball and single-A Lansing. He pitched to a 2.15 ERA with an 8.4 K/9 rate over a combined 37.2 innings, with all but four of those frames coming with Lansing.

The 19-year-old right-hander is the Blue Jays’ fifth-ranked prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. He features a fastball that can reach 96 m.p.h. as well as a plus curveball that serves as his best secondary offering. His arsenal also includes a slider and change-up.

Pardinho signed with the Blue Jays for $1.4 million as a 16-year-old in 2017 after an impressive amateur career pitching in his native Brazil.

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