Potential first-round pick Karsten Whitson out for season following shoulder procedure

You may remember right-hander Karsten Whitson, who was drafted ninth overall by the Padres in 2010 before turning down $2.1 million to attend the University of Florida. It turns out that his gamble might not pay off.

Per Aaron Fitt of Baseball America, Florida baseball head athletic trainer Pat Hassell announced yesterday that Whitson would miss the start of the season due to continued shoulder fatigue. The exact nature of today’s procedure isn’t yet known, but Whitson’s father, Kent Whitson, told Rogers that his son’s rehab process will take about four months.

While Whitson enjoyed a strong freshman season, forearm tendinitis limited him to just 33 innings last year and he was forced to leave the Cape Cod League after three innings due to shoulder stiffness. Still, the potential was there for him to be a first-round pick this year. He’ll likely draw interest from MLB teams even after today’s procedure, but Whitson’s father says his son is “fully prepared” to return to Florida as a redshirt junior if things don’t work out.

The SB Nation site Gaslamp Ball posted an ill-conceived post celebrating the injury they have since pulled and apologized for.

He’ll recover, but you’ll be awful forever. RT @gaslampball: Karsten Whitson Schadenfreude - He’s hurt. We’re not. sbn.to/UkQqar

— keithlaw (@keithlaw) February 15, 2013

Apologies about the Karsten Whitson post. Agreed it was in poor taste.

— Gaslamp Ball (@gaslampball) February 15, 2013