ATLANTA — Atlanta Braves pitcher Kyle Wright is expected to miss next season after the 28-year-old right-hander underwent surgery to repair a torn capsule in his pitching shoulder.
Texas Rangers team physician Dr. Keith Meister operated Wednesday in Arlington, Texas, the Braves said Friday.
After leading the majors with 21 wins in 2022, Wright underwent a cortisone injection this past January to deal with lingering shoulder pain, forcing him to start the season on the injured list. He made his debut on April 11 but got through only five starts, going 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA before returning to the injured list.
Wright was out for more than four months before he finally returned to the Braves on Sept. 11, but he never looked like the pitcher who had that breakout season, giving up 10 earned runs, 11 hits, six walks and three homers over seven innings in two starts against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Snitker moved him to the bullpen for the final week of the regular season, hoping he would be more effective as a long reliever. Wright did produce better numbers, allowing two earned runs in 5 1/3 innings, but he struggled to bounce back after each outing, prompting the Braves to finally send him for another evaluation.
The damage was discovered shortly before the start of the postseason, and the news of Wright’s injury came last Saturday after he was left off the roster for Atlanta’s National League Division Series against the Phillies.
The Braves’ season ended Thursday night with a 3-1 loss in Philadelphia as the wild-card Phillies won a best-of-five NLDS between the NL East rivals in four games for the second year in a row to advance in the playoffs.