Miami Marlins: Alfredo Silverio shut down with sprained elbow

Already seen as a long shot to make the Miami Marlins 25-man roster out of spring training, Alfredo Silverio‘s chances took another hit. Silverio has been shutdown with a sprained right elbow.

The elbow sprain is the latest setback for Silverio in what has been a very disappointing past 14 months. In January 2012, he was involved in a serious car accident, which caused him to miss all of last year. As a result of the wreck, Silverio had Tommy John surgery performed on his right elbow.

This is what Mike Redmond has to say on Silverio’s injury:

"“He will be out for a while,” manager Mike Redmond said. “He felt something long-tossing. We shut him down. We don’t have a time frame on that.”“It’s disappointing,” Redmond said. “He was doing so well. It looked like he was feeling good. Those things are touchy.”"

Silverio, early on, has shown flashes of his potential that caused him to be ranked as one of the top prospects in the Los Angeles Dodgers farm system. While being limited to DH so far, Silverio was 3-for-12 with a home run. The Marlins were impressed with his bat before he was shutdown.

Feb 23, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; Miami Marlins designated hitter Alfredo Silverio (56) hits a solo home run against the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium. The Marlins defeated the Cardinals 8-3. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

John Sickels ranked Silverio as the Dodgers fifth best prospect before the 2012 season.

Silverio’s car accident caused him to miss the entire 2012 season, and he was then selected by the Miami Marlins in the Rule 5 draft. Sickels ranked Silverio as the Marlins 14th best prospect, even after the uncertainty about his career that followed after his injuries.

I have Silverio ranked as the Marlins 15th best prospect.

Hopefully Silverio can make a comeback from his latest setback and revive his promising career.