Jonny Venters was told by Braves team physician Dr. Gary Lourie that his elbow is structurally sound and he was given the green light to resume his throwing program in the next couple of days.
Venters was diagnosed with a strained flexor muscle after his elbow started to bother him 10 pitches into his first session of live batting practice. He had just started to ramp up his effort level, facing hitters for the first time last Wednesday in Orlando.
The Braves consider this a minor setback and almost something you would expect in a recovery from a second Tommy John surgery. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said Venters should be back on the mound throwing bullpen sessions sometime this weekend.
“(Lourie) thinks it’s a minor strain in my flexor forearm muscle, and he said other than that my elbow looks as good as he’s ever seen it look,” Venters said. “It was good news….In the grand scheme of things it’s probably a week.”
Venters has been pleased with the progress he’s made overall since he began throwing off a mound in March. He’ll likely throw two or three bullpen sessions before he faces hitters again.
“I’m excited to get back out there and start throwing,” Venters said.
“I’m glad we were cautious with it. I think it’s all part of the process. Every time you pick up the effort there’s going to be more stress on it and it’s going to react differently. So listen to your arm and let it tell you what you need to do.”
