On Thursday afternoon, the Atlanta Braves were notified by Dr. James Andrews, that left-handed reliever, Jonny Venters, had torn his UCL again. Venters has not pitched since 2012 due to issues regarding his elbow. After recovering from a UCL tear in his left elbow, he was looking forward to pitch again soon.
This year, Jonny Venters has been working his way back to the majors. Venters, having a second Tommy John surgery, has just been completely plagued by injuries. The bad news continued, when the Braves organization learned that he re-tore the same UCL, and could require a third Tommy John surgery. Not too often do you see a player have three Tommy John surgeries. It's unfortunate to see Venters having to go through this.
Venters has been stellar when healthy for the Atlanta Braves. He was the setup man for the closer Craig Kimbrel. As soon as the Braves turned to those two guys, it was lights out for the other team. Venters is 15-10 with a 2.23 ERA in three seasons with the Atlanta Braves. Whenever called upon, he would come on and get the job done. Hopefully if he does indeed have to undergo a third Tommy John surgery, he can make an incredible comeback and continue his success as a reliever.
Jason Isringhausen is one of the notable pitchers that was able to pitch well after having a third Tommy John surgery. It is very rare for pitchers to come back like Isringhausen, and still be a good pitcher. Sadly, some pitchers consider retirement due to injuries reoccurring. If Venters wants to pitch again, he will most likely have to undergo a third Tommy John surgery.