The back injury suffered by Chicago Cubs top prospect Brennen Davis is more serious than originally believed.

Davis was undergoing back surgery on Thursday at Los Angeles, sources told the Tribune. The outfielder, 22, was placed on the Triple-A injured list on May 12 after the player was suffering from lower back stiffness that dates back in spring time.


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The operation revealed blood vessels that were causing back and leg discomfort. The malformation of the vascular system pushed against an nerve similar to sciatica.

Blood vessels have been cut in the course of the operation and Davis will have scheduled a follow-up visit with the surgeon in the coming week. It’s the ideal scenario considering the current situation of Davis who doesn’t have any structural or disc problems in his back.


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Davis is expected to complete an entire recovery. But, there is no date on when Davis will be able to resume playing baseball.

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It’s too early to determine the extent to which his season could be affected. If he’s unable to get back prior to the end of the season and the season is over, it is possible that the Arizona Fall League or winter ball might be a possibility to have a chance to bat during the offseason.

The initial manifestation was an back incident, however eventually the pain spread onto his legs. Davis was prescribed an epidural that was supposed to alleviate the problem. The pain, however, was still getting worse in the back as well as his legs. Before Thursday’s surgery, the theory was that Davis was suffering from an issue with his disc within his back.

Davis recorded an .195/.286/.299 Slash line, with 2 doubles, and 2 homers during 22 games for Triple A before landing on the injured list. He last played May 3.

Davis is a top-rated consensus player in minor league baseball, being ranked as high as No. 16 , overall, by MLB.com. He was a star in the MLB Futures Game last year, hitting two home runs in order to earn MVP recognition.

Davis’ surgery is yet another reminder of the complexities of projecting prospects , and also the way to reach the majors can be linear. He’s the second major prospect who is out this year, after the shortstop Ed Howard suffered a significant hip injury last month which has him on the DL for an indefinite period.

High-A outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong ruptured the labrum of his right shoulder after six years into his career playing for the New York Mets last year before being transferred for the Cubs in July. A healthy and fit Crow-Armstrong of 20 has been thriving within the Cubs team, earning the opportunity to move up to the High A level South Bend this week after scoring .354/.443/.557 in Low-A and playing outstanding defense.

Davis Davis, the Cubs second-round pick of 2018, climbed the organization’s structure in an impressive 2021 when the player moved up from Triple-A to High A. Davis was expected for a move to with the Cubs sometime during this season. The plan is on hold while he gets back from his operation.