With right-hander Kris Medlen potentially headed to a second Tommy John surgery, the Atlanta Braves are scrambling to fill their rotation.
Medlen, projected as the Opening Day pitcher and staff leader, left the mound in obvious discomfort after throwing a pitch in the fourth inning of his third spring start March 9, and an MRI the next day revealed a ligament injury.
The right-hander was to be examined further, and he likely will see Dr. James Andrews, who performed his elbow reconstruction surgery in 2010.
“The MRI does show some involvement with the ligament,” Braves general manager Frank Wren said. “We don’t know the extent yet. He’s going to have continued tests, and he’s probably going to have a second opinion, so for us to put a complete diagnosis on it now would be premature.”
The loss of Medlen for the season would be a major blow to a rotation already without right-hander Tim Hudson, who signed as a free agent with the San Francisco Giants, and beset by other uncertainties.
Right-hander Brandon Beachy, coming off 2012 Tommy John surgery, had an elbow cleanup procedure last September, and he has battled arm tightness this spring. He cut his third spring start short after two innings March 10, and he will miss his next scheduled outing.
In addition, left-hander Mike Minor has not pitched in a spring game yet after experiencing shoulder discomfort early in camp.
That leaves right-hander Julio Teheran, third in National League Rookie of the Year voting last season, as the top starter by default going into the season.
Wren admitted that he was looking at his options, and it was known that the team inquired about free agent right-hander Ervin Santana. The price tag could be high, though, and the Braves would have to give up their first-round draft choice as compensation to the Kansas City Royals should they sign Santana.
Minor isn’t likely to be ready to join the rotation until mid-April, and Beachy, who has not had his normal velocity, is also a question mark for the start of the season. That could leave just veteran right-hander Freddy Garcia and two youngsters, left-hander Alex Wood and right-hander David Hale, to fill spots.
Right-hander Gavin Floyd, signed as a free agent, is coming off Tommy John surgery and won’t be available until late May or June.
“It’s worrisome,” Wren said of the rotation situation. “We feel like we have the makings of a very good pitching staff, but you need depth at this level because you just never know what is going to happen. We’ve seen that over the last two days. Very quickly, your depth can go to a shortage.”
Medlen is 24-12 with a 2.47 ERA in 44 games since moving into the Braves’ rotation after the 2012 All-Star break. Only Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw has a better ERA among major league starters in that time span.
NOTES, QUOTES
–RHP Julio Teheran pitched four perfect innings against the Philadelphia Phillies on March 11, striking out three. He hadn’t allowed a run over nine innings in three spring starts. He had eight strikeouts to one walk while allowing six hits. Teheran was 14-8 with a 3.20 ERA last year, and he finished third in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting.
–RF Jason Heyward hit a leadoff homer off Philadelphia LHP Cliff Lee on March 10 to cap a streak of six hits in as many at-bats. It was Heyward’s second homer during the streak and his third of the spring. He followed that by going 2-for-2 with a walk against the Phillies the next day, and he was batting .379 through his first 11 spring games.
–2B Dan Uggla hit home runs in consecutive games March 10-11 against Philadelphia, both no-doubt blasts. Uggla, who slumped to a .179 average last season, added a single in the second game to raise his spring average to .318. He had six walks and eight strikeouts in Grapefruit League action.
–CF B.J. Upton had two hits against Philadelphia on March 10, making him 7-for-22 in his past seven games. However, his only extra-base hits this spring were two doubles, and he had eight strikeouts in 28 plate appearances. Upton, who was batting .269 for the spring, is trying to bounce back after hitting just .184 last season. He adjusted his batting stance.
–C Gerald Laird returned March 7 after missing a week because of back spasms. He felt something during his first at-bat of the spring against Detroit on Feb. 27 and left after catching the bottom of the inning at Lakeland, Fla.
–RHP Zach Stewart was acquired from the Chicago White Sox for cash considerations on March 10 and will supply organizational pitching depth at Triple-A Gwinnett. Stewart, 27, has appeared in 33 major league games, going 3-10 with a 6.82 ERA for the Blue Jays, Red Sox and White Sox in 2011-12. He spent all of last season at Triple-A Charlotte, where he was 6-14 with a 4.25 ERA in 28 starts.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “I’m not worried at all about it. I’ve seen the doctor, and they’ve done everything. My ligament is fine. I’ve got some inflammation in there, and it got a little too tight in my biceps. It was just unproductive to keep pushing and fighting through it.” — RHP Brandon Beachy, who left his March 10 start with the ailment. He was expected to miss one turn in the rotation.