Per reports, Braves prospect JR Ritchie to have Tommy John surgery for Grade Two UCL tear

The 2022 first rounder will be out of action for the next 15-18 months as he recovers from a serious elbow injury

We talked just yesterday about Braves RHP JR Ritchie being on the minor league injured list with an elbow injury of indefinite severity, and wished it wasn't for the reason we all feared. 

It was. 

Per reports from Geoff Pontes of Baseball America, Ritchie has suffered a Grade Two tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and will need Tommy John surgery, sidelining him for fifteen to eighteen months as he recovers. 

Per sources Braves 2022 first round supplemental pick JR Ritchie will undergo Tommy John surgery later today. The surgery will fix a moderate grade two tear.

— Geoff Pontes (@GeoffPontesBA) May 24, 2023

The UCL is located on the inside of the elbow, and connects the humerus (bone of the upper arm) to the ulna (one of two bones in the forearm). There are three bands of ligament in the structure, the anterior (front), posterior (back), and transverse (across), with the anterior being the most important to ensure stability of the elbow. 

The structure of the UCL complex in an elbow / Dr. Christopher Admad

Grade two is a moderate severity injury, defined as a stretched and partially torn ligament. Grade one, the least severe, is a stretched ligament with no tears, and can often be healed through rest and immobilization. Grade two tears are often repaired through surgery, especially for pitchers, while a Grade three injury - a complete tear through the ligament - requires surgery to return to professional action. 

Ritchie last pitched on May 6th, leaving the game in the 4th after calling for the trainers soon after throwing two wild pitches that missed badly.

His ERA this season was a step back from what he put up after the draft - last year, in five appearances combined between rookie ball and Low-A Augusta, Ritchie put up a 1.88 ERA in 14.1 innings with fourteen strikeouts to five walks, giving up one home run. This season, all for Augusta, Ritchie's four starts saw him go 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA. The peripherals were much better - 25 strikeouts in 13.1 innings (16.9 K/9) to only three walks - but a blowup against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (3.1 innings, seven hits and six runs (five earned) colored the ERA and clouded the overall outlook of the improvements that Ritchie has made.

The Braves made a significant investment in Ritchie in last year's draft - he was selected with the compensatory pick that Atlanta acquired from Kansas City in the Drew Waters trade, and signed an overslot $2.4M bonus. The investment looked to be a shrewd one to open the season, and given that Ritchie will only be twenty-two when returns to action in 2025, there is still time for his career to develop as Atlanta expected. 

Best wishes, JR! 

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