July 27, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Jonny Venters (39) pitches in the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

The Braves and Venters held out hope that after the April 2^nd Platelet Rich Plasma injection administered by Dr. Andrews, Venters’ arm would return to working order without too much time missed. But just three weeks into his scheduled throwing program—during his first full mound session—Venters has experienced discomfort and soreness.

When the Braves opened Spring Camp in Florida in early March, Venters was again expected to be a cornerstone in a powerful Braves bullpen. Venters followed the spring program like any of the other relievers, but was hindered by pain and an uncharacteristic struggle for the strike zone for most of the spring. The final straw came in the last week of the Grapefruit season when Venters pulled himself from the March 26th game with elbow discomfort.

For Venters, this is the second run through the injury gauntlet, as the 28 year-old has already undergone one Tommy John surgery, in 2005. Dr. Andrews, who performed Venters’ elbow reconstruction surgery in 2005, is regarded as the innovator of the surgery and has turned the once career-threatening surgery into a household name as familiar as the flu. Rarely, though, does a pitcher have to undergo the surgery twice.

With his second appointment scheduled for Thursday in Dr. Andrews’ Florida office, the Braves will have to wait until at least the weekend to receive word on the Venters setback. While the April MRI showed no apparent tear in the Ulnar Collateral Ligament of Venters, Dr. Andrews did explain to Braves officials and reporters that there are often some cloudy spots around the elbow of previous Tommy John victims, and has not ruled out a second surgery for the Braves lefty.

Venters has yet to pitch in the 2013 regular season and even with the best case scenario following Thursday in Florida, it is unlikely that Venters will return to the Braves bullpen anytime before the All Star break.

February 20, 2013; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Alex Wood (82) poses for a picture during photo day at Disney Wide World of Sports complex. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Wood, a 22 year-old lefty from Charlotte, was drafted by the Braves in the second round of the 2012 draft after an impressive three-year stay at the University of Georgia. After spending most of the 2012 season with the rest of his draft class in Single A Rome, Wood has quickly found himself on the short list of Braves arms waiting to break into the MLB.

In 13 starts with Rome in 2012, Wood posted a 4-3 record with a 2.22 ERA in 52.2 innings. More impressive, perhaps, was the K/BB ratio that the young lefty posted in Rome, striking out 52 batters while walking only 14. Those gaudy numbers were enough to catch the eyes of Fredi Gonzalez and Wren, who promptly rewarded Wood with an invite to big league Spring Training.

In his first Spring Training since being drafted by Atlanta, Wood continued to excel, striking out big leaguers and high-level minor league prospects at an alarming rate. Through most of the spring, Wood featured an above average fastball, ranging from 93-96 MPH, and a devastating breaking ball, for which he gives credit to Braves relievers Craig Kimbrel and Jonny Venters.

“I’m probably throwing the best, most consistent breaking ball I’ve ever thrown right now,” said Wood to Braves AJC beat writer David O’Brien in March. “I just started throwing a spike curveball in this camp. Just from talking to Jonny and Craig and them showing me how to grip it. It’s a breaking ball I can kind of throw the heck out of. That’s what I’ve been kind of searching for.”

For Wood, it may have been just the boost he needed to get to the next level. In 7 Spring Training innings, Wood struck out 3 batters and allowed just 1 earned run. For a young kid still trying to find his comfort zone in a professional baseball organization, Wood showed no signs of hesitation.

When the 2013 regular season began, it was a forgone conclusion that Wood would join fellow Braves phenom J.R. Graham in the Double A Mississippi rotation so that both could begin to work through the innings load of a typical starter. For Wood it would be just another test on his way to proving that he is big league ready. And yet again, he has passed it with little resistance.

In 6 starts with Mississippi this season, Wood has devastated hitters to the tune of a 0.58 ERA through 31 innings. Wood has even managed to improve his K/BB ratio from a year before, posting 38 strikeouts and just 7 walks thus far.

For Gonzalez and the big league club, who has seen a wide array of starts this season, it could be tough to keep Wood away for long, as he has made a convincing case for an MLB appearance sooner rather than later. Gonzalez has made it clear that he would prefer Wood to move through the minors and break in as a starter, rather than plugging a hole somewhere in the Braves bullpen, and with Brandon Beachy set to return to the rotation in June, Atlanta will already have to make a decision on one of the current starters. But make no mistake about it if Wood doesn’t make his debut sometime in September of this year, he will surely be vying for a spot next spring.

June 10, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Julio Teheran (27) pitches in the second inning of the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Through three starts this season, Teheran has managed just 16 innings, with only one start lasting more than five innings. What’s even more alarming, perhaps, is the .318 Batting Average Against that hitters have accumulated against him thus far. In all three starts, opposing teams have jumped on Teheran for at least one run in the first inning, and Teheran has managed only seven scoreless innings in the 16 that he has pitched. So where’s the good news, you might ask. Well, there’s more than you might think.

Let’s start with sheer wins. The Braves have won all three games that Teheran has started, including two thrilling 9^th inning comebacks against Chicago on April 6^th and Washington on April 12^th.  If nothing else, it can at least be said that Teheran appears to have a little luck on his side. But when you look past the struggling lines that Teheran has put up in each start, there is a bit of a silver lining in terms of his ability to limit the big inning. In his first start of the season, Teheran surrendered three runs in a disappointing 5^th inning, but since has limited opponents to two runs or less in any given inning. It doesn’t sound like much, but when your goal is to give your offense a chance to win the game, avoiding big innings is key.

Teheran has a done an outstanding job of limiting teams from opening insurmountable leads, even in instances when he surrenders a handful of runs in the first few innings. A perfect example of this minimizing mindset came in Teheran’s start against the Nationals a few weeks ago. After giving up two runs in both the 1^st and 2^nd innings of a series opener on the road, it would be easy—or even expected—for a young pitcher to shy away from his game plan in route to an offensive show by the opponent. Teheran, instead, pressed forward and kept the Nationals offense at bay through six innings.  By the time the Atlanta offense came alive in the late innings, the game was still very much in hand. It seems like a stretch to deem it a quality start, but for four innings after being pushed against the ropes, Teheran held one of the National League’s best offenses in check and gave the Braves a chance at a win. For now, those small steps forward will do.

There’s no reason to doubt that Teheran will develop into a front-line starter in the next few years. He features an above-average two-seam fastball with a curveball that has the potential to be a steady out pitch. He’s also shown early this season that his mindset is somewhat superior to his physical ability, and that’s saying a lot. Teheran strikes me as a guy that will continue to learn how to approach hitters and will eventually gain success as pitcher with top-notch stuff and a bulldog mentality.  But for every frustrating inning or sluggish start that he might make, it is important to remember that he has nothing but time. Think about it, where were you at 22 years old?