Cole Tucker out 10-12 months after labrum surgery

Pirates shortstop prospect Cole Tucker will miss 10-12 months after undergoing surgery today on his labrum.

Tucker hasn't played since July 28. Prior to that, he had been hitting well for the West Virginia Power, recovering from a slow first half to hit .316/.343/.439 in the second. Tucker only turned 19 last month and was one of the youngest players in the league, so there will be plenty of time for him to recover and continue to develop, but his injury is still a huge drag, in that he'll end up missing most or all of next season as well as the rest of this one. This has to be frustrating for Tucker, who seems like an very mature kid with a intense desire to improve his game and a strong sense of how to do it.

If there's a silver lining here, it's that the Pirates will be able to assign 2015 first-rounder Kevin Newman wherever they want next year without worrying about whether it will affect Tucker's development. Obviously, though, this is an unfortunate setback for Tucker.