Braves left-hander Andrew McKirahan tears elbow ligament, out for season
The Atlanta Braves' left-handed bullpen options took a hit during the first week of spring training games as Andrew McKirahan suffered a torn elbow ligament. The 26-year-old will miss the rest of the 2016 season, general manager John Coppolella announced.
McKirahan left Wednesday's game against the Baltimore Orioles with forearm tightness after throwing only four pitches. He will likely need to undergo Tommy John surgery in order to continue his career.
McKirahan previously underwent Tommy John surgery in 2012 when he was a minor-leaguer in the Cubs organization.
After missing a significant portion of the 2015 campaign due to an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, McKirahan posted a 5.93 ERA in 27 1/3 innings pitched last season. His fielding-independent numbers hinted at much better production, though, and he entered spring training as a viable 25-man roster option alongside fellow southpaws Ian Krol, who was acquired from the Tigers in an offseason trade, Rule 5 Draft pickup Evan Rutckyj, Matt Marksberry and Alex Torres, among others.
