Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
Frank Wren took to the podium this morning and made the announcement… but not quite the one we had feared:
#Braves Medlen MRI showed "some involvement of the ligament" and he'll get second opinion and further evaluation
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) March 11, 2014
Next, the obvious question, this coming from Chipper Jones:
@KevinMcAlpin Ok, I will speak for everyone else who is scared to. What the hell does that mean??? Explain 'involvement'.
— Chipper Jones (@RealCJ10) March 11, 2014
In this context, “involvement” means only one thing: damage. Just how much is the part that’s not clear. But here’s the kicker:
Dr. Andrews is expected to examine #Braves Medlen's MRI. He did the Medlen TJ surgery, and MRI often difficult to read after previous TJ
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) March 11, 2014
So this could easily still result in a season-ending event. But at this point… we wait. The one obvious thing is that Medlen will not be pitching for quite a while. Months, for sure.
It is way too soon to speculate on Medlen’s future. Contractually, he is in the next-to-last year of team control, making a $5.8 million salary for 2014. He missed most of the 2011 season after injuring his arm in August of 2010. Clearly, though, this is a major setback for him.
Kris Medlen left his start prematurely on Sunday after experiencing an obvious injury above his pitching arm elbow. This announcement still leaves his season – and the Braves rotation – in limbo. Kris’ lifetime stats – only with Atlanta – feature an ERA of 2.95 and a 34-20 record after 61 starts and 152 appearances. He debuted in the majors in 2009 and has been in the organization since 2006. Streaks of brilliance over multiple months had earned him this years’ opening start.
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>> ALSO:
Nothing new on #Braves Beachy, team thinks it's typical soreness and inflammation that can occur coming back from elbow surgery
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) March 11, 2014
Well, at least there’s that bit of good news.