Atlanta Braves left-handed pitcher Luiz Gohara could return by the beginning of May

Braves LHP Gohara to return by May?

We’ve been missing our big ol’ teddy bear, right?  Atlanta Braves big 6’3″, 210-pound left-handed pitcher, Luiz Gohara, has been dealing with two separate injuries this Spring Training and hasn’t thrown in a game yet.

It started with a left groin strain within the first weeks of Spring Training.  When that healed, the southpaw threw a few bullpens and live batting practices and was reportedly ready to return.  Well, that got put on hold once again because of an ankle injury.

The 21-year-old prospect was gearing up to throw in his first Grapefruit League start, but instead the start was pushed back again because he sprained his left ankle during pitchers’ drills.

After being called up to Atlanta at the end of the 2017 season, Gohara went 1-3 in five starts with a 4.91 ERA, 2.5 BB/9 and 9.5 SO/9 over 29 1/3 innings.  He was supposedly a shoe-in for a Braves rotation spot heading into the Spring Training.

After the groin injury, we all thought he could work his way into the rotation — the Braves won’t need a 5th starter until April 11th because of how their schedule is lineup with off-days.

The ankle injury has pushed everything back.  But for how long?

Braves manager Brian Snitker talked with media this afternoon about the timeframe of Gohara’s return.  He’s thinking around the beginning of May.  He also went on to say Gohara has begun throwing again, but not off the mound.

So the “ankle injury” happened on Friday, March 9th and he’s just now beginning to throw?  Just how bad of an ankle injury was it?  I’ve rolled my ankle probably about 25 times in my life…if not more…I’ve sprained my ankle a bunch and I’ve torn every ligament in my ankle.  Obviously each injury is different and some are more severe than others.

According to WebMD, a sprained ankle takes an average of 6 weeks to heal but can take can up to 4 months, depending on the severity.

I’m just curious what grade of a sprained ankle Gohara is dealing with.

What’s Next for Braves and Gohara

Since Gohara hasn’t thrown in a game yet this Spring, it’s obviously he won’t be ready to start the season in the Braves rotation.  The Braves do have some options with Scott Kazmir, Max Fried, Lucas Sims, Aaron Blair, Matt Wisler and Anibal Sanchez.  Again, they won’t need any of these guys until April 11th.

If Gohara can somehow return to the Braves by the beginning of May…let’s just say the May 8th – 10th series against the Tampa Bay Rays…the Braves will need one of the pitchers above (or a mixture of them if they stink) to pitch five games.  Not too bad, right?

As for Gohara, he’ll likely need five or six weeks to be ready to go again.  That means he could stay in Florida for the expanded Spring Training as well as be with the Gwinnett Brav…oh wait, Stripers.

Next: Who gets the ball for the Braves on Opening Day?

The progress is there though.  It’s good to see this note from Snitker about Gohara throwing again and he’s given a timeline for his return.  This dude is going to be something special for the Braves, it’s just a matter of time!