Just a few days ago, it appeared as if the Atlanta Braves had an “ace in the hole” with regard to their bullpen, as young right-hander Shae Simmons was seemingly close to rejoining the Major League roster. However, after an incredibly rough outing on Monday night, the 23-year-old Simmons was scratched from a rehab outing on Wednesday, and is now being shut down for a period of time.
Shae Simmons scratched from tonight’s rehab app w/shoulder soreness. He’ll be shut down for a few days and reevaluated. #Braves
— Kevin McAlpin (@KevinMcAlpin) August 20, 2014
Kevin McAlpin of 680 the Fan (among others) reports that Simmons will be reevaluated in a few days, but this certainly isn’t positive news for Simmons or the Atlanta bullpen. The hard-throwing right-hander was battered on Monday night, as he did not record an out while allowing two hits, two walks and four earned runs with triple-A Gwinnett. That ugly performance coupled with shoulder soreness is an ideal recipe for a setback, and this confirms what many already expected about his health.
Stay tuned for the latest on Simmons as he continues his progress toward potentially rejoining the active, 25-man roster, but for now, Braves Country will be subjected to additional time from Luis Avilan, James Russell and company at the back end of the bullpen.