Another Braves’ Pitcher Lost
The words this afternoon came as if from a bolt out of a clear blue sky:
RHP Shae Simmons underwent successful “Tommy John” surgery today to reconstruct the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) February 12, 2015
There it is… another home-grown Braves pitcher lost for the entire 2015 season to this veritable epidemic.
Last season, it was Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy on consecutive days. Later on it was Cory Gearrin. Then Jonny Venters. Now it’s Simmons, the 24-1/2 year old right-hander who burst onto the scene last season after breakout seasons in 2013 and 2014 that shot him from A Ball to the majors.
It’s a huge blow to the bullpen, as Fredi Gonzalez now loses his “go to” arm to put out developing late-inning fires.
What Happened Here?
Full information is still sketchy at this point. Certainly players are continuing their off-season preparations for Spring, as the pitchers and catchers are due to report to Disney World next Friday (Feb. 20), so throwing programs are in progress. But… to tear a UCL at this point?
At this time, all we have is this piece of information about the run-up to today’s announcement:
The #Braves say Simmons began feeling right elbow discomfort last week. He missed the final two months of 2014 w/ a sore shoulder.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) February 12, 2015
Implications
Well, it’s certainly not like the Braves need to go out and find another arm… they’re pretty well over-loaded with them. And indeed, if pitchers such as Jason Grilli and Jim Johnson manage to return to something close to top form, the braves could still have the best bullpen in the NL… or at least the NL East.
However, this does create additional opportunities for some:
- Michael Kohn
- Jose Veras
- Donnie Veal
- Matt Capps
- Jason Hursh, perhaps
- Juan Jaime (who is out of options, so there’s a DFA if he fails to make the club)
That’s not necessarily an all-inclusive list – nor necessarily the right order. But it does indicates that the team has options available to fill – though not necessarily replace – Shae Simmons.
Nothing like a cold shower of reality to dampen our enthusiasm for the imminent start of Spring workouts.