When Will Mike Minor be back with the Braves?

Feb 23, 2015; Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Mike Minor fields a ground ball during spring training workouts at Champion Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

So far so good this season in Atlanta with the hot 5-1 start. But how long will all the great pitching (1.83 team ERA) last? Mike Minor was shut down in Spring Training due to some shoulder inflammation, but when will he be back to bolster the starting rotation?

News from Braves GM John Hart is that Minor tried to throw off the mound in the last week and felt pain once again. Tests revealed less inflammation than the first time, so the Braves are taking the wait and see approach with some rest.

Obviously this is not good news, as it means Minor will likely be starting over from scratch. He was set for a mid-May return to the rotation, but now it looks like mid-June under a similar timetable as before. But who really knows. Hopefully he won’t have to go under the knife.

Eric Stults and Trevor Cahill have taken his place in the rotation for now. Stults started the Braves home opener on Friday night and gave up three runs in five innings for a no-decision. Cahill has not made a start yet with the off day last week, but is slated to get that opportunity on Tuesday night vs. the Marlins before Stults takes the mound again on Wednesday in the series finale.

In Mike Minor’s five year career, all with the Braves, he has a 38-36 record with a 4.11 ERA. He struggled last year (6-12, 4.77) after his best year in the big leagues in 2013: 13-9, 3.21 ERA in 204 innings pitched.

Atlanta’s starting rotation for 2015 appears pretty good on paper with Julio Tehran, Alex Wood and Shelby Miller. The back end is a bit shaky, and you could probably still say that with a healthy Mike Minor. Regardless, you can never have enough pitching depth in baseball so we’ll keep an eye out for his return. There won’t be any Kris Medlen or Brandon Beachy coming back as they’ve gone to the Royals and Dodgers respectively, so it’s Minor who the Braves are counting on.