Kris Medlen to undergo Tommy John surgery, Brandon Beachy to seek second opinion

Monday was a very important day for Braves starters Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy, who both met with Dr. James Andrew in anticipation of possible Tommy John surgery diagnoses. Both pitchers were removed from starts last week after dealing with arm pain, and both appear headed under the knife for the second time in each of their careers.

Medlen's diagnosis was confirmed, and he will officially undergo Tommy John surgery tomororow, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. According to a baseball source, Beachy's appointment with Andrews revealed "nothing definitive", and he will meet with Dr. Neal El Attrache in Los Angeles on Tuesday to determine the next course of action.

Medlen, who underwent Tommy John for the first time in August 2010, was removed from Atlanta's spring training game against the Mets last Sunday after throwing a pitch and immediately running off the mound. He has been expected to receive the diagnosis of Tommy John since that point, so today's meeting only confirmed that news.

Beachy was removed from his start on the following day, and has been less sure of his prognosis over the last week. He seems headed for surgery as well, but will talk to Dr. El Attrache tomorrow and determine his course of action then.

In an effort to fill the voids left in their rotation, the Braves signed Ervin Santana to a one-year, $14.1MM contract last week and acquired Zach Stewart, who will likely serve as minor league depth. As Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reported last week, the team is probably done making moves to add to their rotation, meaning that they will likely go forward with a group of Santana, Julio Teheran, Freddy Garcia, David Hale and Alex Wood, with Gavin Floyd remaining as a late-season possibility as he recovers from his own Tommy John surgery.