As the Braves await word on the extent of Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy’s elbow ligament damage - both are scheduled to visit Dr. James Andrews on Monday – they turned their attention Saturday to moving forward with what they’ve got.
Braves general manager Frank Wren said the Braves are unlikely to make another move at this point, despite knowing now that both Medlen and Beachy are expected to miss significant time and possibly the rest of the season.
“You add, if there’s something that’s better than what you have,” Wren said. “And right now I don’t see that out there.”
The Braves already spent $14.1 million to sign Ervin Santana for a one-year contract, going about $10 million over their projected payroll of $100 million, shortly after watching Medlen walk off the mound Sunday clutching his right arm. After revealing five days later that Beachy could be facing season-ending surgery as well, the Braves believe they’ve got what they need to get through the first two weeks of the season, a stretch when they’ll be their thinnest.
They’ll likely go with some combination of Julio Teheran, Alex Wood, Freddy Garcia and David Hale to start the season, using off days to manage with a four-man rotation.
Wren said Santana, who threw his first live batting practice on Friday, should be ready to work into the rotation about the time the Braves need a fifth starter April 12. Wren said Mike Minor and Gavin Floyd should return in the next week or two after that.
Minor was late starting his throwing program after Dec. 31 urinary tract surgery and experienced some shoulder soreness when he started throwing last month. Minor is back building up his arm strength. He has thrown four bullpens and expects to throw his first live batting practice either Monday or Tuesday.
Minor said he’s experienced only the typical soreness of getting into game shape this time around. “I’ve gotten better and better,” he said. Minor said he thinks he could be ready by around that April 12 mark, though the Braves will likely give him another week or two to guard against rushing him back.
Floyd, meanwhile, is projected to return in early May from his Tommy John surgery. Floyd threw his fourth session of live batting practice on Saturday, a 40-pitch outing. His recovery continues to go smoothly as he works through live batting practice to the next step of getting into minor league game action.
“It’s coming out nice and easy,” Floyd said Saturday morning. “To this point, it’s been uninhibited. I haven’t had that thought of ‘what if.’ It’s been ‘throw this pitch’ and I throw it. It feels really good.”
