After posting a 3.19 ERA with 21 wins, Kyle Wright is finally healthy, he says. The Braves starter burst onto the scene in 2022 and even performed in the postseason, throwing six scoreless innings in a Game 2 win over the Phillies during the NLDS. However, he was doing all of it with discomfort in his shoulder. Following a cortisone shot in January, Wright says he feels healthy but will miss some time during the Grapefruit League season.
“I feel whole, healthy and fresh again for the first time since about 2020,” Wright said via MLB.com. “It’s nice. You forget what it’s supposed to feel like because you’re just kind of used to it. So far, I feel great. I’m excited about hopefully keeping the same feeling my whole career.”
According to Mark Bowman, Wright is in line to potentially miss the Braves season-opening series against the Nationals but will debut against the Cardinals in the following series.
The Braves have one of the deepest rotations in baseball, so a minor setback like this isn’t detrimental. Spring Training is for these guys to ramp up their bodies, and Kyle Wright is just slightly behind schedule. Atlanta has more than enough arms to fill in potentially — Ian Anderson, Bryce Elder, Mike Soroka, and Kolby Allard are all battling for the final spot in the rotation.
This Kyle Wright news shouldn’t be seen as a bad thing. The kid won 21 games with a 3.19 ERA after entering the year with a 6.56 ERA through 14 career starts. Now, his shoulder is healthy. That should only result in better production. Eclipsing 20 wins will be difficult to replicate, but Wright is eager to improve on a career year.
“There’s a lot of things I can clean up to be even better this year,” Wright said. “That’s my goal.”
— Rich von Biberstein/Icon SportswireMore must-reads: