11:02am: Anderson will indeed undergo Tommy John surgery, Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN report (via Twitter). He’ll miss the remainder of the 2023 season.
Because Anderson was diagnosed with the injury after being optioned and making a start with Gwinnett, he’ll presumably head to the minor league injured list for now. However, if the Braves need to open a 40-man roster spot at any point, he can be recalled from Gwinnett and placed on the Major League 60-day IL.
That move, however, would entitle Anderson to big league service time. He started the year with two years and 46 days of MLB service, so if he spends 126 days or more on the MLB injured list, he’ll surpass three years of Major League service time, pushing up his path to free agency. If he spends fewer than 126 days on the big league injured list, he’d remain under club control for an additional four seasons.
10:56am: The Braves placed Ian Anderson on the minor league injured list due to an elbow issue last week, and while the team hasn’t formally announced a diagnosis or treatment plan, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets that Tommy John surgery is a possibility for the right-hander. That’d of course point to a ligament issue for Anderson, though the extent and placement of any damage would impact the eventual course of treatment.
Regardless of the outcome, if surgery is indeed a consideration, that’s indicative of an absence of note for Anderson, a former No. 3 overall pick (2016) and Rookie of the Year candidate who has fallen out of Atlanta’s rotation picture in the wake of some 2022 struggles. Anderson, still just 24 years old, broke out with a combined 3.25 ERA in 160 2/3 innings between the 2020-21 seasons, grabbing hold of a rotation spot in Atlanta and staking a claim to a long-term place on the starting staff.
The 2022 season, however, marked a step back in just about every facet of Anderson’s game. The righty was tagged for an unsightly 5.00 ERA in 111 2/3 innings as his fastball velocity, strikeout rate, walk rate, ground-ball rate, exit velocity and hard-hit rate all trended in unfavorable directions. Anderson was also tagged for 13 earned runs in 21 2/3 Triple-A innings last season, and he followed a rocky 2023 spring training (five earned runs on five hits and eight walks in 7 1/3 innings) with a disastrous first outing with Triple-A Gwinnett. In his lone appearance of the 2023 season there, Anderson faced nine batters and yielded three home runs and two walks while also being charged with a pair of wild pitches.
If Anderson indeed needs surgery — be Tommy John surgery, an internal brace or any other type of elbow procedure — that’ll provide the Braves with a notable blow to their rotation depth. Atlanta has been without Kyle Wright thus far, though he’s slated to make his season debut today. Ace Max Fried is currently on the injured list owing to a hamstring strain. Charlie Morton and Spencer Strider have two starting spots spoken for, and Bryce Elder has delivered a pair of strong outings as well. Rookie southpaws Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd have both been hit hard in their MLB debuts (two starts apiece).
As things stand, the Braves can hope for a swift return from Fried, which would set the stage for a rotation of him, Strider, Wright, Morton and Elder, with Shuster and Dodd continuing to develop in Gwinnett. Oft-injured righty Michael Soroka is also hoping for a big league return and is in the Gwinnett rotation, but he’s building up his pitch count presently and threw just 38 innings between the minors and big leagues combined from 2020-22. Soroka is on the mound this morning and has already tossed two innings for Gwinnett as of this writing, but it remains to be seen when he’ll be considered for the Major League staff.
bhambrave
Good luck Ian! See you in 2024, hopefully.
alwaysgo4two
I will not be the first to reference Jethro Tull.
kcmark
You’re just …Living in the Past.
cornwhisperer
Well at least his woman and his best friend….uh… never mind
Paleobros
I hope he really doesn’t mind if he sits this year out
dr. remulak
And no Wiseman knows how it feels…
…to be picked for a trip…
to MLB (true story).
Curly Was The Smart Stooge
Breaking news—-Mandatory for all male new borns—-TJ surgery (just get it over with already)
RockinRobin
Oscar: I tell you one thing that really drives me nuts, is people who think that Jethro Tull is just a person in a band.
Dr. Banks: Who’s Jethro Tull?
CardsFan57
Oh by the way, which one’s Pink?
bronxmac77
“Who’s Fabio?”
“A shortstop with Seattle…”
George44
Nice obscure Moneyball reference’
bronxmac77
Who’s not Jethro Tull. Two totally separate bands.
MrSeptember
Hopefully the surgery isn’t bungled (in the jungle)
Ignorant Son-of-a-b
Well there’s always the flute.
GarryHarris
ATL can put out sad stories like Gone With The Wind and Mike Foltynewicz.
DCartrow
Not to mention “Deliverance” and Joey Terdeslovich.
Idosteroids
I remember when Folty was crying during the arbitration hearings. That was the first red flag.
Mikenmn
Interesting about service time. Presumably he wasn’t aware of an injury before they sent him down. Otherwise, we could see a grievance.. More importantly, hate to see players suffer serious setbacks.
DCartrow
He bungled in the jungle?
RunDMC
Well, based on his performance, there’s been a serious issue for some time, so if there’s any silver lining to this, at least they know why there was such a decline in some of his stuff. Hopefully he’s able to start fresh post-rehab. He’s still young (24 y/o).
DTD/ATL1313
I believe the decline was between the ears first and then this happened.
RunDMC
Agreed, but hopefully this will allow him more confidence during the rehab that it was more physical than maybe he thought. Also, nice to have Soroka – for at least part of that – to be able to give him some support.
hiflew
If the guy is injured for a year plus and had already fallen out of Atlanta’s rotation, I seriously doubt service time will become an issue for him. He would likely be waived or non-tendered long before he reaches six years in service time.
Idosteroids
To hit that benchmark, that would be about 36 games in. Almost a third of the way there right now. First or second week of May i’d expect them to make that move.
Sid Bream Speed Demon
Not waiving a 2016 first round with previous success. He will be 26 when he comes back.
Ace_
Freeman is miserable in LA and knows he will never win a World Series with the chump Dodgers and wishes he didn’t just take the extra money to leave the Braves.
LonnieB
Funny thing about it is he actually is making less money due to taxes and price of living in LA. But he doesn’t seem miserable he just won’t get a statue now.
CardsFan57
Freeman is living a great life in his mansion with his beautiful wife. That kind of chuck you and chuck everyone money makes life easy to enjoy. Sorry to burst your bubble.
Ace_
Actually, sorry to burst your bubble. Money isn’t everything, to say the least.
bronxmac77
You are exactly on point. And if Freddie bought a house out there, he’s good to go. Anywhere from Laguna up to Camarillo. Nice country.
CardsFan57
It’s his home and this is his last contract. I was assuming he bought a really nice big home but I don’t know for sure. All I can tell you about money is that having the kind of money ensuring I can both live in luxury and provide financially security for my great grandchildren would make me very happy.
bronxmac77
Dam strait.
bronxmac77
Man, shut up.
acoss13
That sucks he was really good for Atlanta during their 2021 World Series run, see you in 2024!
inkstainedscribe
Late 2024, if that. Wishing for the best.
I hope part of his recovery involves working on changes in his mechanics so he can add pitches. The two he has stopped fooling batters, especially when he lost control of the zone.
DCartrow
I think a change in area slot would help.
His strictly over the top delivery yielded no movement whatsoever on his fastball.
James Midway
Seems like TJ is a right of passage these days.
getrealgone2
Seems like it should have been done sooner.
Camden453
If only they still had Tucker Davidson instead of Iglesias
That was a bad trade. Giving up a young starter for an old reliever with little left in the tank. And eating a lot of salary space while you do it
bronxmac77
Meanwhile, back in the year One…
Camden453
It’s looking good for the Mets. Braves and Phillies are looking battered and thin. Meanwhile Senga looks like a legitimate ace and Cy Young candidate
As long as Scherzer-Verlander-Senga put in their 25 starts, division is a wrap for the Mets
With no Swanson the Braves lack a team leader. The Phillies have weak starting pitching with Nola being in decline, and a declining Wheeler. Can’t really count on Walker either
Your entire season hinging on Kyle Wright staying healthy is not a good position to be in
User 2079935927
Ahhhhhh Aqualung
sergefunction
I wondered why Ian Anderson was suddenly so bad. He was not, at least not talent-wise.
dasit
came for the jethro tull jokes and was not disappointed
bronxmac77
Imagine a triple bill with The Who, Yes, and Them (Van Morrison).
As advertised by Abbott and Costello.