Nick Senzel, former UT Vols and Farragut baseball standout, has season-ending surgery

Mike Wilson | Knoxville

Nick Senzel's third season in professional baseball is over.

The former Tennessee and Farragut standout had season-ending surgery to repair a right index finger injury, closing the book on a health-plagued season.

Senzel, the Cincinnati Reds' top prospect, underwent the surgery June 28 to reduce a fracture in his finger, according to the Reds.

"I would like to start by thanking my family, friends, teammates and fans for the support over the last 24 hours," Senzel wrote on Twitter on June 23. "It had been a challenging season from the start but it has made me grow. The news this morning was very unfortunate but I was prepared mentally on how to handle it whether good or bad. I had a goal this season and it was to make it to the big leagues and help the Cincinnati Reds win ballgames, although I did not fulfill this goal it will not stop my drive to continue to fulfill my dream."

The Reds picked Senzel with the No. 2 selection in the 2016 major league draft.

In 44 games with the Triple-A Louisville Bats this season, Senzel recorded six home runs, 12 doubles, three triples, 25 RBIs, and eight stolen bases to go with a .310 average. He hit two home runs in his second-to-last game of the season on June 21.

But a day later, MLB Pipeline's No. 4 overall prospect suffered the injury in a game against the Norfolk Tides.

Surgery was a success #RoadToRecovery — Nick Senzel (@LilSenzii) June 28, 2018

Senzel had been rolling since returning from almost a month off through May as he battled vertigo symptoms.

“It’s hard to explain to people. It’s a weird thing,” Senzel said, per the Louisville Courier-Journal. “The side effects are real weird. You just don’t feel very good, and you know something is off. I knew it. I probably waited a little bit too long to say something, because it’s the second time in 9-10 months. I finally had to say something and get it taken care of. ... I could feel it starting to affect me while I was playing.”

Senzel was diagnosed with vertigo last fall, when he began experiencing symptoms.

He hit .400 in his final 10 games before his season ended.