Kentucky signee to miss senior season following surgery
Braxton Van Cleave, ranked in the top-100 nationally by Prep Baseball Report, had Tommy John surgery in February to repair a torn UCL.
A week after competing in the prestigious Super 60 Pro Showcase event outside of Chicago, Kentucky outfield signee Braxton Van Cleave was warming up in the outfield before practice when he felt a pop in his elbow.
And like that, Van Cleave’s high school career was over because of an ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tear. He had Tommy John surgery in February and expects to be hitting again in the fall.
While there’s never a good time for an injury, it comes at an unfortunate time for Van Cleave. Ranked as the No. 58 player nationally by Prep Baseball Report, he received draft interest from MLB scouts eager to see him during his senior season.
“I had a lot of home visits, probably 18 or 19 home visits that I’d already gone through and had a lot of Zoom meetings as well,” Van Cleave told Bat Cats Central. “I got hurt after our first scrimmage. The first (batting practice) I had, there were probably about 15 scouts there to watch. And then a few more showed up to the game as well. I was real excited for what the opportunity was going to be and getting started in that process and making the final push senior year and trying to raise your stock as much as possible. But God had other plans.”