No one can say with a straight face that the Atlanta Braves haven't had to deal with their fair share of the injury epidemic around baseball. Spencer Strider made two starts before needing Tommy John, reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. was lost for the rest of the season with a knee injury, and there have been a host of other smaller issues that have popped up with guys like Austin Riley, AJ Minter, Hurston Waldrep, and Sean Murphy.
Unfortunately, that trend continued on Monday as it was revealed that Braves reliever and sometimes starter Ray Kerr was put on the injured list with an elbow injury and also managed to void the option the Braves used on him along the way.
The #Braves have placed LHP Ray Kerr on the 15-day injured list with a left elbow UCL injury, effective June 16, and voided his option to Triple-A Gwinnett on June 15.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 24, 2024
Braves News: Atlanta loses Ray Kerr to elbow injury, but some injured arms could be back soon
Losing Kerr isn't a massive loss as the Braves had already optioned him back to the minors after struggling in the big leagues in a swing man-esque role with the Braves. Atlanta certainly hoped for more out of Kerr when they swung a trade with the Padres last offseason for him, but he was more a nice complimentary piece to have around than a key part of their pitching staff.
The weird part of this move is the voiding of Kerr's option. For this to happen, there must have been a specific timeline of events regarding when Kerr was known to be hurt, when he was optioned back to the minor leagues, and when the determination was made to put him on the injured list. Regardless of how all of that shook out, that the Braves are already terming Kerr's injury as a UCL injury probably doesn't bode well for the chances that he avoids going under the knife.
Luckily, the Braves do have some good news on the injury front. Both AJ Minter and Ian Anderson are in the middle of rehab stints and assuming no setbacks, they will give the Braves some much needed pitching depth. Minter will obviously give the bullpen a huge boost upon his return and if Ian Anderson can regain his former form before his surgery, he could allow the Braves to field a truly competitive six-man rotation to keep everyone fresh for the stretch run.