Atlanta Braves Injury Report: Help is on the Way
With a lot of key players still injured for the Atlanta Braves, we look at when those players could possibly be back.
The pitching injuries for the Atlanta Braves this Spring have been devastating, but hopefully, we’ll be at full strength sooner rather than later.
Mike Foltynewicz is the biggest loss in my opinion as he was expected to be the ace of this pitching staff in 2019. With him back at the top of the rotation, that takes some pressure off the other starters.
Mark Bowman of MLB.com said Folty was going to throw 50 pitches on Friday night, but I’ve heard any reports of how that went.
Folty will throw approx 50 pitches during Friday's start in a Minor League game. That would put him in line to throw 65-70 during Gwinnett's season opener on April 4. He'd then likely need one more rehab start. So there's a chance he'll be activated during ATL's second homestand
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) March 25, 2019
Going by what Bowman says here, Folty could be back for the Sunday matchup against the New York Mets on April 14. That would be huge.
Kevin Gausman threw 78 pitches on March 24 in a Spring Training game, so you would have to think he could be ready to go by next week.
There hasn’t been much of an update on Gausman lately, but unless there is a setback — or he just continues to struggle — he could start in the Marlins series at the end of next week.
So it’s very possible the Atlanta Braves rotation could be at full strength by April 14.
As for the bullpen, where the Atlanta Braves may be more desperate for help, it sounds like it could be a little longer for A.J. Minter and Darren O’Day.
Minter pitched in a Minor League game on March 25 and didn’t experience any pain, so it is possible that he could be back in the next couple of weeks.
But at this point, there is no time table for O’Day, which is a real bummer. The Atlanta Braves desperately need some bullpen help in the middle innings, and O’Day can give them that — if healthy.
According to Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Mike Soroka and Luiz Gohara have both been throwing. However, there is no clear timetable for their return.
It sounds like Soroka is further along as he’s been pitching in Minor League games.
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My guess is that Soroka will need to make at least two or three starts at Gwinnett to prove he’s healthy before possibly rejoining the Atlanta Braves.
You know the Braves are going to continue to play it safe with one of their top pitching prospects. Plus, Soroka will most definitely be on an innings limit this year, and you’d rather him save those innings for when the team needs him at the end of the season.
I still think Soroka could be a huge key to this season if he can prove healthy and effective like he was with the Atlanta Braves in 2018.
As for Gohara, it’s just a really sad story. I just pray that he can get healthy as soon as possible and get a full season of work in. That young man needs to be on a mound.
With the exception of O’Day and Gohara, everyone could be back in the next couple of weeks if there are no setbacks.
2019 Gwinnett Stripers Preview. dark. Next
That could be great for the Atlanta Braves who could use some more stability and experience in the pitching staff right now.