Atlanta Braves Morning Chop: Pitching Concerns (Minor/Wood)?
Mike Minor (36). Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Braves SP Mike Minor (shoulder) experiences pain after throwing
ELLIOTT SMITH / FANTASYNEWS.CBSSPORTS.COM
Braves starter Mike Minor returned to Atlanta [from extended Spring training in Fla] to be examined after experiencing discomfort in his left shoulder after throwing off a mound earlier in the week, per MLB.com.
Minor had gone through flat-footed throwing exercises without any pain, but when throwing off a mound, continued to have a re-occurrence of the injury that has sidelined him since March.
Braves lefty Minor has shoulder pain again
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Minor was shut down for two weeks during spring training because of shoulder inflammation and has been rehabilitating at Braves camp in Florida. Braves vice president John Hart said Sunday that Minor returned to Atlanta to be examined by the team’s medical staff and will return to Florida to continue with a scaled-back rehab program.
“He was at the point where he was just getting on the mound (and) I think that’s where he began to feel just a little bit of discomfort,” Hart said Sunday. “Rather than continue, we wanted to bring him back up and have it looked at. We are sending him back and we will continue to manage it. We wanted to make sure there was nothing suspicious going on. There obviously is some level of concern because the discomfort came back.”
Hart said tests revealed less inflammation in Minor’s shoulder than when he was initially shut down. Minor had progressed from short throws on flat ground, to long toss, to throwing from the mound. He remains on the 15-day disabled list.
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[ Editor’s note: obviously a big setback. Surgery is off the table at this point, according to Hart, but it’s also not being ruled out. But don’t count on seeing Mike back… maybe until sometime in June at the earliest now? ]