The Braves' pitching staff is kind of a mess right now. Kris Medlen underwent another Tommy John surgery and Brandon Beachy's status is completely up in the air. Mike Minor is still recovering from penis surgery. Other than the guys who already had a spot locked down, the bullpen hasn't done much to inspire a ton of confidence through the first three weeks.
On Wednesday, Fredi Gonzalez said Ervin Santana will make his spring training debut against the Mets on Thursday. He will only toss two innings, but it's always fun to see the new guy in the 'A' cap.
In the not-so-good news department, David O'Brien says Minor may not make his spring training debut until the end of the month.
#Braves Minor likely has at least couple more live BP sessions. Might not pitch in game until end March, join rotation late April or so
— David O'Brien (@ajcbraves) March 19, 2014
The Braves are fortunate to have a pretty favorable schedule in the early going -- other than six games with the Nationals and three with the Reds, the month of April should be pretty easy -- but it's still kind of scary to think Freddy Garcia and David Hale could be the club's No. 3 and No. 4 starters for the first week or so of the season.