Braves pitcher Mike Minor will have his spring training debut delayed by at least a week or two after having a medical procedure on his urinary tract in December. The procedure prevented from working out in January and led to some shoulder soreness when he resumed throwing.
The Braves had the left-hander rest during the first week of training camp and Minor is back long-tossing from 120 feet without difficulty. He believes he’ll rejoin the rotation within two weeks. Manager Fredi Gonzalez said he thinks Minor can avoid starting the season on the 15-day disabled list.
“He could start the season with us and we think he will,” Gonzalez said. “Because if you look at the schedule, we don’t need a fifth starter till around (April) 10th, 11th, or 12th, right around there. We we can bump him back all the way to there, or we can plug him in anywhere we want to.”
Because the Braves have scheduled off days on April 3 after a three-game opening series at Milwaukee and on April 7 after a three-game series at Washington, they could use four starters without having to pitch anyone on short rest until an April 12 home game against the Nationals, the 10th game of the season.
“I think I’ll be ready,” said Minor, who believes he could make his regular-season debut on April 12 or sooner. “Either way, I’m going to be fine.”
Minor, 26, had a cystoscopy Dec. 31 by a specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, after experiencing difficulty urinating over the past two years. He visited multiple urologists and other doctors, and none could figure out what was causing the problem.
It worsened to the point where he went to the emergency room and a specialist said scar tissue built up inside his urethra that would have to be removed via cystoscopy. Minor was told there was a 50 percent chance that the condition could return at some point and that it was impossible to predict when.
When he resumed throwing, he developed shoulder soreness that led the Braves to rest him in the first week of camp. Minor said the shoulder was sore from trying to rush back after not doing any throwing in January.
Minor, a former Vanderbilt standout and native of Chapel Hill, Tenn., was 13-9 with a 3.22 ERA in 32 starts in his third full season in the majors. He had 181 strikeouts in 204 2/3 innings and is penciled in for one of the top three spots in the rotation along with Julio Teheran and Kris Medlen.
Spring starting rotation: Veteran Freddy Garcia, who's competing for the fifth spot in the rotation, gets the start against the Tigers in Wednesday's Grapefruit League opener at Champion Stadium.
He’ll be followed in the rotation by Medlen against the Tigers at Lakeland on Thursday, Brandon Beachy vs. Houston on Friday, Teheran vs. Washington on Saturday and Alex Wood and David Hale against Detroit and Houston in split-squad games Sunday. Wood is Garcia’s primary competitor for fifth starter and either could shift to the bullpen.
Buchter's chances: During batting practice Monday, Gonzalez got a look at hard-throwing lefty Ryan Buchter, 27, who has no major league experience but is a candidate for a bullpen spot. Buchter had 103 strikeouts with 51 walks in 62 innings at Triple-A Gwinnett in 2013, his eighth minor league season.
“You keep looking down those (statistical) columns and the thing that scares you a little bit is the bases on balls,” Gonzalez said. “Probably sooner than later, (pitching coach Roger McDowell) and I will probably sit down and talk to him about it, because that’s the key. His arm is outstanding and he’s got a good breaking pitch. But once you’re in the major leagues and they start figuring out you can’t throw it over the plate, they’re not going to swing at it.”
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