Atlanta’s Bryce Elder undergoes knee surgery

By Rick Farlow, Braves.com

ATLANTA — The Braves still lead the Phillies by four games atop the NL East after both teams lost on Tuesday — the Braves 7-1 to the Rays at Truist Park and the Phillies 6-5 to the Astros. 

That’s the good news.

The bad news: Atlanta now has even more uncertainty regarding its potential playoff rotation. Before Tuesday’s series opener against Tampa Bay, the Braves announced that right-hander Bryce Elder will miss three to four weeks after having his right knee scoped in Dallas on Tuesday.

Elder had bone fragments removed, which were believed to be the source of the knee discomfort he has been dealing with since the All-Star break.

The 27-year-old right-hander saw a doctor in Philadelphia on Monday after testing his knee on the field ahead of the club’s series finale against the Phillies and subsequently flew to Dallas to have the surgery.

“He flew from [Philadelphia to Dallas] to get his knee checked out because it hasn’t been getting better,” manager Walt Weiss said. “We’ve been giving him extended rest. He’s been dealing with it since the All-Star break. It felt like the best chance for him to be a factor in the postseason is if he got this thing fixed.”

Weiss said there is a chance Elder will be back for the postseason. The final day of the regular season is Sept. 27.

“This was the only way [Elder coming back in the postseason] was going to happen, is if he had the surgery immediately to give him enough time to possibly make that happen,” Weiss said.

Elder pitched on eight days’ rest on Aug. 25 as he attempted to get his knee back on track, but has not pitched since Aug. 31.

“He downplayed it,” Weiss said. “It’s just the way athletes think. He downplayed it and pitched through it. He’s been dealing with it. When he was right in the first half of the season, he was one of the best pitchers on our staff. He tried to fight through it and he got to the point where he couldn’t really do it anymore.”

Weiss said the Braves will have a more thorough update in the coming days after the club gets a report from the doctor.

This season, Elder (8-8) has a 4.11 ERA over 26 starts, and his 149 innings are second on the team only to Chris Sale’s 150. Elder’s production has been consistent throughout the year, with a 4.12 ERA over 102 2/3 innings (18 starts) prior to the All-Star break and a 4.08 ERA over 46 1/3 innings (eight starts) since the break.

“He’s been good, and it’s been a little more uneven since the break but it makes sense,” Weiss said. “He’s been dealing with something, trying to pitch through it. Best-case scenario, we get the Bryce Elder we had in the first half and he can help us in the postseason.”

Weiss was not sure if Elder will be part of the Braves’ rotation when he returns.

“A lot of it depends on what our team looks like and what our rotation looks like,” Weiss said. “I’m sure it’ll be drastically different three or four weeks from now.”

Right-handed pitcher Reynaldo López will be the club’s corresponding move when Elder officially goes on the injured list Wednesday. López will come off the IL and join Atlanta’s rotation.

López, who went on the IL with left knee inflammation on Aug. 2 (retroactive to July 30), hasn’t pitched since July 26. He has a 3.64 ERA over 24 games (11 starts).

“It’ll be nice to get López back and see what he’s got,” Weiss said.

Prior to Elder’s injury, the Braves were going to have seven starters available when López made his return: Sale, AJ Smith-Shawver, Martín Pérez, Grant Holmes, Tyler Mahle, Elder and López. 

Atlanta still has the luxury of six possible starters, but Smith-Shawver has struggled since his return from Tommy John surgery and there are doubts about his ability to make starts in the postseason.

Smith-Shawver has a 7.71 ERA over five starts this season, and in Tuesday’s loss the 23-year-old allowed four earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts and two walks over 3 1/3 innings. Weiss isn’t looking too far ahead in the future and does not know what the plan is for Smith-Shawver, who could make a couple more starts this season. 

“We don’t know what we’re doing after the Phillies series [this weekend],” Weiss said. “Those are always ongoing conversations.”