Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Cory Gearrin prepares to throw during the fifth inning of a spring exhibition baseball game against the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland, Fla.ROME, Ga. – The Braves are facing the possibility of losing another pitcher for the season as general manager Frank Wren said Saturday right-hander Cory Gearrin has a serious injury to his right elbow.
Wren said Braves orthopedist Dr. Xavier Duralde on Friday found “ligament involvement” in Gearrin’s elbow. Wren said the Rhea County High School graduate will see Dr. James Andrews next week for a second opinion and a “definite diagnosis.”
Clearly, the Braves have braced for bad news.
“I think he has a significant injury,” Wren said.
It is another blow to a Braves staff that already has lost starting pitchers Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy this spring to their second Tommy John surgeries.