On Thursday, cringing news came from Braves camp, as manager Brian Snitker acknowledged the injuries of Mike Foltynewicz and Kevin Gausman – the Braves two most consistent pitchers on the team last year.
Snitker indicated Gausman still has enough time to be ready when season begins. Said too early to know if Folty situation will affect his presumed Opening Day start (#Braves hadn't officially named him OD starter, but that was a given after last season barring a big acquisition)
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) February 28, 2019
While Folty said himself that he would be pitching tomorrow if it were a regular season game, Snitker’s comments won’t put many fans at ease. The additional news regarding Gausman is just icing on the cake, who has been bothered by a shoulder injury as of late.
And if Gausman is the icing, then Gohara is the cherry on top. The Brazilian southpaw is also battling a shoulder injury, and while he is throwing, he is ways away from pitching in a game.
Gohara (shoulder) has been throwing, but he’s not ready to pitch in a game. The Braves are also slow playing Gausman because his shoulder recently bothered him
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) February 28, 2019
All three pitchers join Mike Soroka as arms to watch as spring training resumes. It’s likely that a couple, most even, of these pitchers, will be just fine. However, losing one of these guys, specifically Folty or Gausman, for a significant amount of time would be a major blow to the starting rotation.