Braves News
Medlen Will Have 2nd TJ Surgery; Beachy Will Get 2nd Opinion
Kris Medlen and the Atlanta Braves' fears were confirmed on Monday, as the visit to Dr. James Andrews resulted in Medlen having to undergo a second Tommy John surgery. Medlen will go under the knife today, and although the odds are slim, Medlen is confident that he can return. Also, Brandon Beachy will be taking a trip to Los Angeles to see Dr. Neal Elattrache, who will do further evaluation.
After throwing a live BP session on Monday, new Brave Ervin Santana is getting closer and closer to seeing game action during Spring. From Fredi Gonzalez (via Mark Bowman):
"If he wakes up good and everything is fine tomorrow morning, I think maybe we'll see him in a game here shortly," manager Fredi Gonzalez said.
If all goes well, Santana should be able to join the rotation once it's time for the Braves to actually use a five-man rotation.
Minor And Santana Have Good Live BP Sessions
Meanwhile, Mike Minor is also slowly but surely making his way back to full health for the Braves. As explained during the weekend, the Braves are not exactly rushing Minor, but all signs are pointing towards Minor being back to normal very soon.
Monday ended up being a pretty busy day for Minor, as in addition to the positive live BP session he had, he also found new management. Minor will now be represented by Jet Sports Management. Jet Sports has worked with a few Braves players (both past and present), so Mike Minor will just become the latest Brave to go under Jet Sports' umbrella.
MLB Daily Dish Previews The Braves
Our friends over at MLB Daily Dish are currently doing season previews for each team in the league, and yesterday Jeff Duggan reviewed the Braves. If you've been living under a rock from October until today and you need a quick refresher on the Braves and their chances in 2014, then the above link is a good place to start.
Glavine Left "Amazed" By Hall Of Fame Orientation
Yesterday, Hall of Famer Tom Glavine made a very special visit to Cooperstown for his Hall of Fame orientation. This actually turned out to be Glavine's second visit to the Hall, after taking an informal trip with his son last Summer. Glavine will be officially enshrined in the Hall this July.
Wood Goes Five Scoreless Innings And Uggla Hits Well In Braves Victory
In "Please, Please, Please Save Some For The Season" news, Dan Uggla had himself a pretty good day at the plate against the Astros, hitting a HR and a triple as the Braves won 4-0 in a game that was cut short due to rain. Also, Alex Wood pitched all five innings and continued his streak of not giving up an earned run this Spring.
Opponents Of New Stadium Will Hold Town Hall Meeting
The Cobb Citizens for Governmental Transparency will be hosting a town hall meeting in Marietta tonight. The group is opposed to the building of the new stadium, and they will be discussing various issues surrounding the building of the stadium, such as taxes and potential additional costs that come with the building of a new stadium.
League Wide News
Parker Will Undergo Second Tommy John Surgery
Kris Medlen wasn't the only pitcher to receive some bad news yesterday, as Oakland A's pitcher Jarrod Parker also received grim word that he too would have to go under the knife for Tommy John surgery. He will also be joining the "Second Time Around" club when it comes to TJ surgery. Parker has a ERA and FIP of 3.68 & 3.93 respectively, and he will be facing the same long, unlikely road back that Medlen will be facing.
Castro Looking To Start For The Cubs On Opening Day
Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro has not played in a Spring Training game since March 2nd, which is when he strained his left hamstring. With that being said, Castro is making progress and is looking to return in time for the latter stages of Spring Training, which would enable him to make the start on Opening Day. Castro is looking to bounce back from a dreadful 2013 at the plate in which he managed to only hit for .245/.284/.347 for a wOBA of .280 and an anemic 70 wRC+.
Tigers' Iglesias Has Stress Fractures In Both Legs
The Tigers are probably going to be missing their starting shortstop for the entirety of the 2014 season, as it was confirmed that Jose Iglesias' shin issues were actually stress fractures. In addition, Iglesias has been playing through the injury since LAST SPRING.
Sanchez Scratched From Start Due To Shoulder Issues
In more "Injured/Hurt Tigers" news, pitcher Anibal Sanchez missed a start yesterday due to shoulder soreness. Sanchez had a great season last year (2.57 ERA, 2.39 FIP, 9.99 K/9), but he's had problems with his shoulder on multiple occasions during his career and surely Sanchez and the Tigers have to be hoping that this is just a minor blip compared to those other issues.
Nats Move Detwiler To The 'Pen
One name has been eliminated from the competition for the role of 5th starting pitcher for the Washington Nationals, and that name is Ross Detwiler. Detwiler will be moving to the bullpen in a late-inning role, while Taylor Jordan and Tanner Roark will battle for the final spot in the rotation. As expected, Detwiler was not pleased.
Bourn Sidelined With Strained Hamstring
Cleveland Indians center fielder and former Brave Michael Bourn will be out of action for a week due to a strained hamstring. This is the same hamstring that Bourn had surgery on during the offseason, but according to Bourn, this strain is in a different spot. Bourn is looking to rebound from a disappointing debut season in Cleveland, which saw his fWAR drop from 6.2 as a Brave to 2.0 as an Indian.
No Structural Damage To Niese's Elbow
After Jon Niese left his start on Sunday with an elbow issue, it was easy to expect the worst, especially considering that this would be Niese's second MRI of the Spring. As it turns out, this is the second time in which the MRI revealed no structural damage. Niese had a bit of an injury issue last season with a rotator cuff injury that forced him to miss 9 starts last season, and this Spring is already not off to a good start if he's already had to get two MRIs done.