Braves' Beachy has Tommy John surgery
Atlanta Braves pitcher Brandon Beachy, who is tied for the Major League lead in ERA, had successful Tommy John surgery on Thursday and is expected to be out of action for about a year.
Dr. James Andrews, who performed the operation, had decided on Wednesday that Beachy would not be able to avoid surgery on the partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
Beachy went 5-5 in 13 starts this season, and his 2.00 ERA is tied with Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey for the best in the Majors among qualifying starting pitchers. Beachy ranks first in opponents' batting average (.171).
"It's tough," Braves general manager Frank Wren told MLB.com. "He was really doing everything that you can ask, and growing as a pitcher and growing in stature as a guy you could count on to shut the other team down. So it's tough to lose him, and it's obviously tough for him."
Beachy, 25, first experienced pain during a start on June 8, so the Braves gave him three extra days of rest before his outing on Saturday. But elbow pain forced him to leave that game after 3 2/3 innings.
Atlanta will call up Jair Jurrjens from Triple-A Gwinnett to take Beachy's spot in the rotation. Jurrjens, an All-Star in 2011, will pitch on Friday.
