June 27, 2016
Phillies pitching prospect Matt Imhof, the team’s second-round pick the year they drafted Aaron Nola, suffered a freak injury to his right eye that could threaten his professional career.
Imhof, 22, was hit in the right eye when a pitching stretch band equipment became unhinged and struck him in the face after a game Friday in Brevard County. The injury was first reported last week by Florida area Phillies fan and baseball blogger Baseball Betsy.
According to a report from ESPN.com on Monday, Imhof has already undergone one surgery and “is likely to need further procedures.”
Imhof was selected with the 47th overall pick (second round) of the 2014 draft out of Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. A 6-5 lefthander, Imhof was 4-3 with a 3.91 ERA in 14 games (nine starts) with Class A Clearwater this season.
Imhof has gone 13-10 with a 3.69 ERA in 43 games (38 starts) in his minor league career. Imhof received a signing bonus just under $1.2 million after being drafted by the Phillies two summers ago.
