PHILADELPHIA -- Phillies prospect Jesmuel Valentin's season is finished following left shoulder surgery Friday.
Valentin had the labrum repaired after he separated the shoulder recently diving for a ball. Recovery is at least four months. Valentin said he hopes he can recover in time to play winter ball before rejoining the Phillies in Spring Training in February.
"I'm going to work as hard as I can, because I'd like to get those ABs," Valentin said about winter ball, "especially after losing almost a whole season, not even getting 100 ABs [in Triple-A]."
Valentin, who injured the same shoulder in the Caribbean Series, is the organization's No. 29 prospect, according to MLBPipeline.com. He nearly made the 25-man roster in Spring Training, but he hit just .229 with a .573 OPS through 29 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
"I just have to stay positive, have a good rehab, and do the same thing in Spring Training that I did in this last Spring Training," he said. "Try to get better and learn from this."