Help Could Be On The Way For Injured Braves
Injuries seem to be all too common anymore for the Atlanta Braves. The latest casualty to the plague of Tommy John surgery is left-handed pitcher Ray Kerr. The Braves announced the Kerr update before the series kicked off against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night. Kerr was optioned back to Triple-A Gwinnett on June 15 after making his last appearance against the Tampa Bay Rays.
In that appearance, he pitched one inning, allowing two hits, three walks, and an earned run. When Kerr returned to Gwinnett, he complained of elbow pain and ended up not throwing a pitch. The 29-year-old southpaw ended up posting some underwhelming numbers overall for the season: a 5.64 ERA over 22 and a third innings, with 27 strikeouts and a 1.61 WHIP.
Kerr was regarded as a hard-throwing left-hander who could pitch one to three innings if necessary. At one point this season, the Braves considered making him a starting pitcher to help in a six-man rotation. Kerr was given the opportunity to start twice this season for Atlanta and caught the loss both times.
Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves front office saw something they liked in Kerr this past off-season. They are having to absorb four million dollars of Matt Carpenter’s five and a half million dollars owed, from a trade with the San Diego Padres. Kerr will remain on the 40-man roster, currently only being placed on the 15-day injured list. However, if a spot is needed, they can transfer him to the 60-day injured list.
