Shushkewich: Red Sox Duffy undergoes Tommy John surgery

Fieldhouse Pirates and Great Lake Canadians alum and Boston Red Sox farmhand RHP Matt Duffy (Burlington, Ont.) recently underwent Tommy John surgery. Photo: X

March 7, 2025

By Tyson Shushkewich

Canadian Baseball Network

After an impressive 2024 campaign, right-hander Matt Duffy will have to watch from the sidelines in 2025.

News broke in late February that the Great Lake Canadians and Fieldhouse Pirates alum had fully torn his UCL during spring training at Fort Myers, Fla. He underwent Tommy John surgery on Wednesday.

A photo of Duffy (Burlington, Ont.) with the brace on his arm appeared on social media shortly after, signaling his year was over before it began.

Matt Duffy (Burlington, Ont.), shown here with the Canisius Golden Griffins, became the highest draft pick in the school’s history when the Boston Red Sox selected him in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB draft. Photo: Canisius Athletics

The highest drafted player in Canisius College Golden Griffins’ history, Duffy was a fourth-round selection of the Red Sox in 2023 and began his pro career shortly after. Even after logging 80 2/3 innings with the Griffs and another 14 1/3 innings in the Cape Cod League, the Red Sox had Duffy get a few reps in between Rookie Ball and single-A Salem to get his feet wet as a pro.

Duffy returned to Salem in 2024 and posted a 2.83 ERA in 98 2/3 innings in 22 appearances (21 starts). The Canadian righty crafted a 7.4 H/9 while keeping the ball in the yard with an impressive 0.7 HR/9, with just eight round-trippers allowed.

Duffy also dazzled with his arsenal, sitting in the mid-90s with his fastball while using a sweeping pitch to generate a ton of swings and misses. His 100 strikeouts in the season ranked 10th in the league and his 9.1 K/9 mark was tied for fifth among starters with more than 20 starts. He logged five or more innings in 10 of his starts and allowed one earned run or fewer in eight of those outings.

In mid-August last year, he took home Canadian Baseball Network Minor League Player of the Week honours after an outstanding performance against the Delmarva Shorebirds. In 2023, Duffy was named to the Canadian Baseball Network’s All-Canadian First Team, securing 27 first-place votes.

Duffy, 23, is not the only Canuck to be bitten with elbow issues recently. Mets prospect Calvin Ziegler (Heidelberg, Ont.) underwent Tommy John surgery last April while New York Yankees RHP Indigo Diaz (North Vancouver, BC) experienced the procedure in August 2023, as did San Diego Padres farmhand Garrett Hawkins (Biggar, Sask.)

Longtime Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano (Markham, Ont.) also missed most of last season with elbow concerns, although he ultimately avoided the arm brace.

Looking ahead, Duffy will continue to rehab towards a return next season. With timelines that can vary from eight months (with the internal brace procedure) to over a year and a half, Duffy hopes to resume pitching sometime next summer.