Source: Atlanta Braves lose Pitching Prospect to Injury

Former Atlanta Braves second-round pick will be shelved for the next year with an elbow injury.

Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker is getting pitchers back, but lost another prospect / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Braves roster of pitchers is deep and getting deeper. A.J. Minter just returned from injury. Ian Anderson is dealing in his rehab starts, and AJ Smith-Shawver is getting close to a return as well.

However, the Braves are losing another top prospect to an elbow injury for the next year. According to a source, Cade Kuehler is headed to Florida and will get Tommy John surgery on his right elbow before the end of the month. He will spend the next year and change with the FCL Braves rehabbing his pitching arm.

Kuehler is considered the No. 8 prospect in the Atlanta Braves farm system according to MLB.com. He was a second-round pick in last year's draft out of Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C.

He had been pitching well this season in Augusta. Kuehler had a 3-5 record for the GreenJackets. and while his record wasn't impressive, his 2.52 ERA was. He'd shown good command with 44 strikeouts against just 30 walks with a WHIP of 1.22.

Kuehler turned 22 in May and had a stellar career at Campbell before being selected by the Braves in 2023.

From his Kuehler's Campbell Bio:

2023: Named first-team all-Big South… Second-team all-America honors from NCBWA… Made 13 starts on the mound with a team-best 2.71 ERA… Owned an 8-1 record while striking out a team-high 91 in 73.0 IP… Eclipsed the 200 strikeout mark for his career, and climbed into fourth in program history with 243… Held opponents to batting just .199 against him… Went 5-0 with a 1.96 ERA in conference play… Posted a perfect 7-0 record during the regular season… Tallied eight “quality starts” on the year… Earned the win in five straight starts from 3/3-3/31… Struck out 10 in 6.0 IP to get the win at Louisiana on 3/3… Tossed six shutout innings with only two hits at Radford on 3/24… Struck out a season-high 13 across 6.0 shutout innings with only one hit at PC on 4/6… Named Big South Starting Pitcher of the Week back-to-back on 4/10 and 4/17