The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Bad elbow puts reliever out for year
Simmons is latest to undergo Tommy John surgery.
Braves rookie reliever Shae Simmons is expected to miss the 2015 season after having Tommy John surgery for a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow.
Simmons, 24, had a 2.93 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 21⅔ innings last season before going on the disabled list July 29 with a sore shoulder. The right-hander didn’t pitch again. When he ramped up his offseason throwing program about 10 days ago, it was his elbow, not the shoulder, that started to bother him.
An MRI revealed the UCL tear, and Simmons was operated on Thursday by Dr. James Andrews at his Florida clinic.
Simmons was expected to compete for a setup role in a revamped bullpen that could feature former All-Star closers Jason Grilli and Jim Johnson in seventh- or eighth-inning roles, setting up Craig Kimbrel. Simmons was the No. 16 prospect in the Braves organization, according to Baseball America, after winter trades brought in 11 of the team’s top 20.
After Simmons notified the Braves of his elbow soreness, team officials moved quickly to sign three more vet- eran relievers to minor league contracts. The trio included former closers Jose Veras and Matt Capps, who got invitations to spring training, and eight-year veteran Todd Coffey, who had a 1.93 ERA for the Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate in 2014 after missing the 2013 season recovering from his second Tommy John surgery.
Simmons made a big splash after arriving in the majors May 31. He pitched in each of his first two games, converting a save in his second appearance. He posted a 0.96 ERA and .172 opponents’ average in his first 20 games, then allowed five earned runs, four hits and five walks in three innings over his last six appearances before going on the DL.