NEW YORK -- Top Red Sox pitching prospect Jay Groome won't pitch at all in 2018. Instead, the talented 19-year-old will undergo Tommy John surgery on his left elbow next Tuesday in Los Angeles.The procedure will be performed by Dr. Neal El Attrache at the Kerlan-Jobe Institute.The 6-foot-6 lefty was

NEW YORK -- Top Red Sox pitching prospect Jay Groome won't pitch at all in 2018. Instead, the talented 19-year-old will undergo Tommy John surgery on his left elbow next Tuesday in Los Angeles.

The procedure will be performed by Dr. Neal El Attrache at the Kerlan-Jobe Institute.

The 6-foot-6 lefty was Boston's first-round pick in the 2016 Draft, taken No. 12 overall. He's currently ranked the organization's No. 2 prospect by MLB Pipeline (but their No. 1 pitching prospect), as well as the No. 85 overall prospect in baseball.

Due to injuries, Groome has made just 17 starts since being drafted, going 3-9 with a 5.69 ERA.

The New Jersey native spent the offseason working out with Red Sox lefty ace Chris Sale in Fort Myers, Fla.

Sale is a big believer in Groome and has expressed the hope numerous times they will one day pitch in the same rotation.

"It's been fun," said Sale earlier this year. "He's done a really good job. It's fun to see. He's young and this is his first go at it. I'm just trying to get him prepared and show him, 'Hey, this is what it takes to get through a big league season.' He's got all the tools you can possibly ask for. That guy is an animal. Just trying to give him some ins and outs and try to get him here sooner rather than later."

The general timetable for pitchers coming back from Tommy John surgery is 12-18 months.

Groome is seen as having frontline starter potential. In his time in the Minors, Groome's fastball has been sitting in the low 90s, although he hit 97 mph as an amateur. His best pitch, though, is his power curveball, which was the consensus best breaking ball of anyone in his Draft class.

Many pitchers make a full recovery from Tommy John surgery and some even throw harder when they return.

Ian Browne has covered the Red Sox for MLB.com since 2002. Follow him on Twitter @IanMBrowne and Facebook.