Braves Place Kyle Wright on 15-Day IL Due to Right Shoulder Soreness
Pitching injuries have run rapid across Major League Baseball this season, and another one was added to the tally on Thursday as Atlanta Braves right-hander Kyle Wright heads to the injured list.
Wright was placed on the 15-day IL with right shoulder soreness after exiting in the third inning of Wednesday night’s 14-6 win over the Miami Marlins. The earliest he can return to action is on May 19th.
In a corresponding move, the Braves recalled left-hander Dylan Dodd from triple-A Gwinnett and have scheduled him to start Thursday’s series finale against the Marlins. Dodd has made two previous starts in the majors this season, allowing eight runs on 16 hits over 9.1 innings.
Wright dealt with a right shoulder injury over the off-season and received a cortisone shot in January before ultimately opening the regular season on the IL with shoulder inflammation. After one rehab appearance, he made his season debut on Apr. 11 versus the Cincinnati Reds.
The 27-year-old admitted he isn’t sure if his current ailment is related to the same issue he dealt with prior to the 2023 campaign.
Making his fifth start of the season, Wright started strong out of the gate, striking out the first two batters he faced en route to a scoreless first inning. But his average fastball velocity dipped afterwards, declining from 93.1 mph in the first inning to 92.1 in the second and 90.8 in the third.
That prompted a visit from Braves manager Brian Snitker and pitching coach Rick Kranitz, later resulting in Wright’s removal. The 6-foot-4 righty tried to stay in the game at first, but after discussing with his coaches, he wisely stopped himself from risking further damage.
“I didn’t feel good enough to keep going,” Wright said while fighting back tears post-game. “At that point, I wasn’t being smart. I give Kranny [pitching coach Rick Kranitz] a lot of credit for protecting me from myself.”
“I didn’t want to put the bullpen in a tough spot. But, I mean, he made the call, and it was the right one.”
Wright wasn’t the only Braves player to depart early, though, as outfielder Michael Harris II exited the game as a precaution after jamming his right knee while running to first base during his final at-bat in the sixth inning.
Snitker expects the 2022 NL Rookie of the Year to avoid an IL stint, but he will likely receive a few days off to recover.
The 2023 season hasn’t been kind to Wright thus far, as he’s endured two trips to the injured list now and has struggled on the mound when healthy. Needless to say, these last few months have been overwhelmingly frustrating for the Braves hurler.
The fifth overall selection from 2017 owns a 5.79 ERA, 5.36 xERA and 4.53 FIP across 18.2 innings in five starts. Allowing walks and hard contact have been his biggest concerns, as evidenced by his 10.8 percent walk rate and 47.5 percent hard-hit rate against.
Last season, meanwhile, Wright enjoyed a breakout performance as he posted career-bests in innings pitched (180.1), and ERA (3.19).
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Thomson 200. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.