Rangers top prospect Sebastian Walcott, one of the most touted prospects in the entire sport, could miss the entire 2026 season due to an elbow injury that will require surgery, president of baseball operations Chris Young announced to the team’s beat this morning (link via Jeff Wilson of DLLS Sports). Walcott could potentially get at-bats late in the season, and if he’s healthy, he’ll be a prime candidate to make up some lost reps in the Arizona Fall League and/or in winter ball. Young added that righty Nabil Crismatt, who’s in camp as a non-roster invitee, is also headed for elbow surgery (via Wilson).
Walcott appeared in last year’s Arizona Fall League, but his time there was cut short by elbow inflammation. Surgery was not recommended at the time. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes that Walcott spent the offseason rehabbing and felt strong entering camp, but he recently experienced renewed discomfort when throwing.
A consultation with renowned surgeon Dr. Keith Meister revealed “structural changes.” Walcott will have surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, it seems, but it has not yet been determined whether he’ll require a full Tommy John procedure (i.e. ligament reconstruction) or an internal brace procedure to repair/strengthen the existing ligament. The latter comes with a shorter timetable for recovery.
It’s a brutal blow to the Rangers and their farm. Walcott is only 19 years old (20 next month) but already appeared on the cusp of MLB readiness. The Bahamian-born shortstop spent the 2025 campaign in Double-A and hit .255/.355/.386 (110 wRC+) despite being the youngest player in the league.
In 552 plate appearances, Walcott hit 13 home runs, 19 doubles and two triples. He also went 32-for-42 in stolen base attempts, walked at a huge 12.7% clip and only struck out in 19.6% of his plate appearances. That’d be a productive season even for a more physically developed 23- or 24-year-old, but Walcott enjoyed that success in spite of being five years younger than the average Texas League player.
Virtually every prospect list one can find will include Walcott within its top 20. He’s currently No. 16 at Baseball America, 16th on Keith Law’s list at The Athletic, seventh at MLB.com, and all the way up to fifth on Kiley McDaniel’s list at ESPN. Scouting reports laud him for possessing enormous, plus-plus raw power with good plate discipline, a feel to hit, plus speed and a plus arm. There’s some concern that he’ll outgrow shortstop — he’s already listed at 6’4″ and 190 pounds before turning 20 — but he has plenty of bat to stick at third base or in the outfield if such a shift is eventually needed.
It’s plausible that a healthy Walcott, with a big enough start to his season, could have emerged as an option in the majors for Texas. He’s not going to displace Corey Seager at shortstop, but third base, second base and (to a lesser extent) the outfield are all less settled in Arlington. All of that will be put on hold for the time being now, and Walcott’s debut will surely be pushed back into at least the 2027 season, as he’ll need to ease back into things as he rehabs from this health setback.
On the plus side, Walcott’s meteoric rise through the system means that youth is still very much on his side. He could miss the entire 2026 season, play well in the AFL and winter ball, open next season back at Double-A and still push to make his MLB debut during his age-21 season. The injury is a clear development setback, but for a player who has accomplished so much at such a young age, the outlook remains quite bright.
As for Crismatt, the upcoming elbow procedure scuttles any hope of cracking the big league roster. It’s not yet clear what type of procedure he’ll require. He’d been slated to pitch for his native Colombia in the World Baseball Classic, but those plans are obviously dashed as well.
The 31-year-old Crismatt spent part of the 2024 season with the Rangers’ Triple-A club and returned on a minor league deal this winter. He pitched in the majors with the D-backs last year and recorded a 3.71 ERA, 16.3% strikeout rate and 5.9% walk rate in 34 innings. Crismatt has suited up for four clubs across parts of six MLB seasons and carries a lifetime 3.71 ERA, 20.6% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate in 211 innings — most of them coming in relief.
I am sad to hear this. Wish him the best in his recovery.
Agreed. But can’t he at least DH? Ohtani did so while recovering from elbow injuries. seems like it’d be best for his development
We don’t want to rush his development into the big leagues yet; he’s still really young, and we need him to develop as much as he can in AAA before we call him up. (Seager occupies his position)
True. but it’s not about rushing him to the big leagues. rather, it’s about continuing his development in the minors as far as hitting so that it’s not a lost year.
That is a really tough pill to swallow. Hope he recovers quickly.
19 years old and already needs elbow surgery and will probably miss this season. Spring training really hasn’t even started yet. You can call me whatever you want for saying this but baseball in general has to find a way to keep these guys from getting hurt so much. So many season-ending surgeries or missing most of the season surgeries. These guys get hurt combing their eyebrows.
Make the minimum bat weight 38 ounces and every pitch above 96 mph a ball. Sounds silly but it could very well work.
Yep
The process of simply extrapolating a teenager into his full adult body and therefore to give massive weight to prospects who are young for their level, like Walcott, is just silly. It assumes they will continue to develop linearly until they are superstars at 22 or something. That’s just not how Nature works.
He’s 5 years younger than the average player at that level and he more than held his own. That means something. Great prospects like him are the guys who usually end up in the majors before they’re 21. This will be a setback but he’ll probably land in the majors early in 2027.
Looks like we might have the next Jurickson Profar for the Rangers. But I guess we will see.
Fix the elbow now – move forward. Tough situation, but the best choice.
This is not good. Walcott is really good, but it’s not good to have this. He has superstar potential and who knows. Hall of Fame? Terrible, terrible, terrible,
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So close, ahhhhhhhggggg
Prospects are prospects until different
And most great major league players were once top prospects.
Will he miss next year as well then the players are locked out? Might be a long time until Walcott is back on a field.
18 comments? Rangers fans do not exist it seems lol
We are just used to this…
What if he’s a monumental bust… Basically gonna be gone 2 years with the lockout. Yes still young but not generationally young at that point. And to think you could get a proven star for him… It’s worth it if he’s all he’s cracked up to be, but they don’t have the best track record with prospects.
Under the sea
I do not understand the Rangers. Yes, an elite prospect needs to make it to the pros. The Ranger organization tends to pride itself on having the youngest players at each level. They MAYBE make the pros and then struggle. A player’s prime is 25-31. The Rangers seem to think it is 19-25. Develop! Get the right years of control. My 2 cents.
Don’t forget they refuse to trade the “untouchable” prospects that MAYBE make the MLB and struggle… Meanwhile they could get a proven star from a team trying to tear it down. It’s becuase until seager and Marcus, they refused to spend… So they are cheap, and stupid. Bad combo
And yes we got the one world series. I don’t think we will be back in a long time though