Tribe's top prospect out until June with bad elbow

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (AP) -- Pitcher Adam Miller, regarded as the Cleveland Indians' top prospect, will be sidelined until at least June with a strained right elbow.
An MRI examination performed by the club's physician, Dr. Mark Schickendantz, revealed a strained ligament in the elbow of Miller's throwing arm.
Miller won't be allowed to throw for six weeks. After that, another MRI will be taken to determine if Miller can be cleared for a four-to-six week throwing program, said John Farrell, the team's director of player development.
Miller, drafted in the first round in 2003, went a combined 10-6 at two levels of Class A ball in 2004. The 20-year-old right-hander had his fastball timed at 100 mph while pitching for Kinston in the Carolina League championship series last summer.
"We can't pinpoint what caused the injury or when it happened," Farrell said Sunday. "Adam passed a full orthopedic examination Feb. 23 and threw for the first time two days later. He threw 25 pitches in the bullpen, all fastballs, at about 70 to 75 percent. That is normal for this time of year. "He said afterwards that he felt some stiffness and we ordered the MRI, which revealed the strain."
Farrell said surgery does not appear likely. The organization will monitor Miller's progress and limit his pitch count when he returns.
"We are taking the approved method of handling this situation, but there is no 100 percent guarantee," Farrell said. "It is, however, the same approach we took two years ago with J.D. Martin."
Martin, a first-round pick in 2001, missed the final two months of the 2003 season with a strained right elbow, but came back to make 26 starts in the minors last year.