Mike Foltynewicz was scheduled to make his second start of spring training tomorrow against the Blue Jays. According, to David O’Brien of the Athletic, that will no longer happen because of elbow soreness.
#Braves’ Foltynewicz scratched from tomorrow’s start due to elbow soreness. He pitched with similar soreness at times last season but they want to be careful and will have him checked out by team doc this weekend. Says if reg season he wouldn’t have missed start.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) February 28, 2019
Correctly, the Braves are being cautious with their ace, and it is promising that Folty says he would not have missed a start if this were a regular season game. But Braves fans have a right to be leery about the situation.
Mike Soroka has already been shut down for at least a couple of weeks with lingering shoulder soreness. He missed the majority of last season due to shoulder discomfort and is likely not to start the season in the majors after this setback. Now, Folty joins him with an arm injury that dates back last year.
The Braves are already thin when it comes to starting pitchers. Folty is the only proven option on the staff, and he’s only had one standout season. Foltynewicz went 13-10 with a 2.85 ERA on his way to his first All-Star game last year. Hopefully, this indeed is nothing serious, but arm injuries – especially ones that keep popping up – are never something you want to be talking about as spring training kicks off.