Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
It’s hard to see how the news could get any worse for the Atlanta Braves this week. Brandon Beachy will join Kris Medlen in meeting with Dr. James Andrews on Monday, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. Beachy fears the worse – that he’s going to need to undergo his second Tommy John surgery.
Beachy left his last start after just a handful of pitches, complaining of soreness in his right biceps. He apparently sounded confident when he spoke with members of the media on Monday, but the arm has failed to improve as the week has gone on. Beachy’s confidence has since plummeted with it. He previously underwent the procedure during the 2011 season.
The 27 year old made just five starts for the Braves this past season, pitching to a 4.50 ERA and 1.033 WHIP over 30.0 IP.
Atlanta’s woes on the pitching front continue to worsen. News broke earlier this week that Medlen was likely heading for the same surgery, also for the second time in his career, and would presumably miss the entire season. Mike Minor is also likely going to miss the first two weeks with soreness in his shoulder. The team’s newest pickup, Ervin Santana, likely won’t be ready until a week or two into the regular season as his spring began much later than everyone else’s.
The Braves – an organization long built on sustainable young pitching – may be facing a rotation to begin the year of Julio Teheran, Alex Wood, and Santana with some combination of Freddy Garcia, David Hale, and potentially Minor. Gavin Floyd could be an option, but he is recovering from his own Tommy John surgery and isn’t expected to be game-ready until early May.