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Atlanta Braves southpaw Jonny Venters waited four whole weeks after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection in his elbow to toss a baseball around, but apparently that wasn't enough. Venters threw just 10 pitches off a mound on Thursday before shutting it down because of lingering soreness in his elbow, reports David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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While the Braves have not formally announced what this setback means for the 28-year-old's recovery time, it likely points to the left-hander undergoing Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career.
Like Jason Motte and Chad Billingsley before him, Venters was advised to try the rehab route to overcome his elbow malady, but it may not be enough on its own (which doesn't really bode well for Dylan Bundy). The original diagnosis for Venters this spring was a UCL sprain, not any sort of tear, so there's still a chance that he won't require the procedure. Either way, however, he's not going to return to the Braves' bullpen any time soon.
Venters has been a huge asset in the Atlanta 'pen for the last three seasons, posting a 2.23 ERA and 10.1 K/9 in 230 appearances. If he were to be sidelined for a prolonged period of time it'd be a huge blow to the Braves' relief corps.
