Atlanta Braves pitcher Cory Gearrin will officially undergo Tommy John surgery

Mar 2, 2014; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Cory Gearrin (53) throws a pitch against the Detroit Tigers at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

While his fate has been assumed for a long while, Atlanta Braves right-hander Cory Gearrin was in desperate search for a medical opinion that didn’t reflect that he needed Tommy John Surgery. Unfortunately, he was forced to give up that pursuit on Wednesday.

Because of the ominous indications, everyone in Braves Country was seemingly resigned to this result, but that doesn’t make it any easier to swallow for Gearrin. The soon to be 28-year-old right-hander finally established himself as a quality Major League option (at least against right-handers) in 2013, and guys with his delivery and skill set generally don’t age particularly well, especially when they have control issues.

The Braves have a vast amount of insurance in the bullpen, with guys like Gus Schlosser and Ian Thomas emerging and Jonny Venters on the way, but Gearrin did bring a specific role that the team doesn’t have right now. His loss will likely be felt at some point during the season, but this is mostly a story of a player who has an unfortunate injury and will probably have a difficult time earning work until the middle of 2015.