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Atlanta Braves left-hander Mike Minor will have shoulder surgery and is likely out the rest of the season, according to Bill Shanks of Scout.com.
The 27-year-old has been dealing with this injury since 2014, which limited him to only 145 innings. He attempted to work through the injury, but a number of setbacks stopped Minor from making any progress. Despite his limited innings, Minor was able to receive a $5.6 million salary in arbitration.
Minor was placed on the 60-day disabled list earlier this month, when no "measurable improvement" was shown. He is scheduled to have the surgery later this week.
It has been an up and down career for the former 8th overall pick in the 2009 draft. 2012 and 2013 are the highlights of Minor's five year career. He locked up double-digit wins in both seasons, and threw for over 200 innings in 2013.
The Braves are well suited to replace Minor, because they have been doing it all year. The core of Julio Teheran, Alex Wood, and Shelby Miller have solidified themselves at the top of the rotation. Trevor Cahill was acquired during the spring from Arizona, but he has struggled; enough that he has been moved to the bullpen and replaced by Mike Foltynewicz.
Foltynewicz is a highly-touted prospect that the Braves acquired in the Evan Gattis trade back in January.
At 15-18, the Braves are still figuring out where they stand for the 2015 season. If they can close some ground on the Mets and Nationals, they could look to acquire another starter. For now, they have the internal options to bridge the gap.
With Minor's rather larger arbitration, the Braves may not want to bring him back in 2016. They have a history of doing that with injured pitchers. They non-tender both Brandon Beachy and Kris Medlen after the two underwent Tommy John surgery, missing the entire 2014 season.
Minor's surgery is not Tommy John, it's not his second operation, and he is a left-hander. So only time will tell if the Braves follow a similar path or if they think Minor is a part of their future.