Brandon Beachy’s elbow is improving after a little more than a week of rest since the Braves shut down him down on the cusp of his return from Tommy John surgery. The Braves are planning to have him throw a bullpen session some time before the end of this five-game trip to Milwaukee and Kansas City.
“I don’t know exactly which day, but he’ll throw a bullpen - probably just a light bullpen - sometime this road trip,” Gonzalez said. “That’s why he came with us, to get treatment with our trainer and physical therapist.”
Gonzalez said there’s no plan for “ramping Beachy up” yet, though, and that they’re going to play it smart with a pitcher who endured his first setback at about the 12-month mark in his recovery.
“We’ll play it safe with him,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said there’s no plan mapped out beyond this initial bullpen but when the time comes, Beachy will throw at least a couple of bullpens before he heads back out on a minor league rehabilitation assignment to build back up. At that rate, Beachy isn’t likely to return until sometime after the All-Star break.
Both doctors’ exams and an MRI have assured the Braves that Beachy’s right elbow is structurally sound, it was just a matter of giving some inflammation time to subside.
“It’s feeling better,” Beachy said Saturday. “Just see what they have for me tomorrow - it’s one of those type of things.”
