Kris Medlen Injury: Updates on Braves Pitcher's Forearm and Return

Updates from Monday, Mar. 17

David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the latest on Kris Medlen's injured arm:

Updates from Friday, Mar. 14

Kevin McAlpin of the Braves Radio Network has the latest on Medlen's potential surgery:

Updates from Wednesday, Mar.12

David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Medlen is likely to have a second Tommy John surgery:

Mark Bowman of MLB.com confirmed O'Brien's report, and gave a bit of Medlen's mindset:

O'Brien and Kevin McAlpin of the Braves Radio Network also provided insight from the pitcher on his arm issues:

Updates from Tuesday, Mar. 11

Kevin McAlpin of the Braves Radio Network has the latest on Medlen:

Original Text

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Kris Medlen left Sunday's spring training game against the New York Mets after 3.2 innings with an injured forearm.     

Mark Bowman of MLB.com provided the details:

Medlen didn't speak to the media following his exit from the game, via Bowman:

Manager Fredi Gonzalez did speak to the media about Medlen. He expressed optimism about his status, via Kevin McAlpin of 680 The Fan:

The unfortunate thing with an injury like this is how vague it is. As Bleacher Report injury expert Will Carroll pointed out, we won't know more until all the tests are done:

Medlen has been a staple of Atlanta's rotation after being inserted into the group midway through the 2012 season. He posted a 1.57 ERA that year and started the team's Wild Card Game against St. Louis. 

He had another stellar season in 2013, posting a 3.11 ERA with 157 strikeouts in 197 innings. The Braves have built one of the best young rotations in baseball with Medlen, Julio Teheran and Mike Minor. 

Steven Senne/Associated Press

Losing one of that trio for any amount of time could put a dent in Atlanta's hopes to repeat as National League East champs, especially with Washington looking to rebound after a disappointing 2013 season. 

If Medlen can't return by the start of the season, the pressure rises on veteran Freddy Garcia or young star Alex Wood, who, as Bowman notes, pitched well for the Braves last season, posting a 0.90 ERA in five starts last August.