Rangers pick Brody Bumila faces Tommy John surgery after signing
The 18-year-old third-rounder, a 6-foot-9 pitcher with a 100 mph fastball, signed with Texas despite another UCL surgery ahead.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Brody Bumila’s first week as a Texas Rangers prospect comes with a big bonus and a long rehab road.
The 18-year-old third-round draft pick said Tuesday that he will need Tommy John surgery to repair damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, ESPN reported. Bumila, selected No. 89 overall by Texas in this year’s MLB draft, is expected by ESPN to be out until late 2027 at the earliest.
The Rangers announced Tuesday that they had signed Bumila to a $2.75 million deal, according to ESPN. The agreement came after teams already knew about his elbow issue: ESPN reported that Bumila told MLB clubs before the draft that his UCL had additional damage and would require another procedure.
Bumila had internal-brace surgery on the same ligament in 2025, ESPN reported.
The injury news lands around a player whose raw stuff drew attention before draft night. ESPN described Bumila as a 6-foot-9, 255-pound pitcher who regularly pushes his fastball past 100 mph.
Before the elbow situation clouded his draft stock, Bumila had been viewed as a potential first-round pick, ESPN reported. At Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro, Massachusetts, he went 6-0 with a 1.10 ERA and 106 strikeouts in 44⅓ innings, according to ESPN.
A bet on the arm
Bumila had committed to the University of Texas, but he chose to begin his pro career with the Rangers after being drafted, according to ESPN.
In an interview with WBZ-TV in Boston last week, Bumila framed the setback and the draft slide as fuel.
“I just think you’ve got to just keep going, not stop. If you think you can achieve your goal, you can achieve it,” Bumila told WBZ-TV. “I think it just puts a bigger chip on my shoulder to a sense that all the other 29 MLB teams, everyone had an opportunity to take me and they didn’t.”
He also told WBZ-TV that college baseball remained appealing, but the chance to turn pro carried more weight for him.
“College would be amazing to go to, but every kid’s dream is to be a professional baseball player not a college baseball player,” Bumila told WBZ-TV. “And I got a dollar sum I would consider life changing.”
Texas locks up its top three picks
The Rangers did more than complete Bumila’s deal Tuesday. The club announced it had signed its top three draft choices, ESPN reported.
Left-hander Gio Rojas, the No. 16 overall pick, agreed to a $4.6 million deal with Texas, according to ESPN. Infielder Connor Comeau, taken No. 54 overall, signed for $2.5 million.
For Bumila, the next step is surgery and recovery before he can try to bring that triple-digit fastball to the mound in the Rangers system.
This story draws on original reporting from ESPN.com.