Braves reliever Arodys Vizcaíno undergoes season-ending shoulder surgery
Atlanta Braves reliever Arodys Vizcaíno will not be available to alleviate the organization's bullpen concerns.
The 28-year-old underwent right shoulder surgery on Wednesday morning in New York City and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2019 season.
Dr. David Altchek "cleaned up" Vizcaíno’s labrum and removed scar tissue from the shoulder joint, according to a team release. In a post-surgery Instagram post, Vizcaíno wrote, "Thank God the operation was a success."
The hard-throwing closer option is one of the franchise's better relievers when healthy, but he missed significant time last season with shoulder issues and there were lingering concerns even as the team tendered him a $4.8 million contract this offseason. In 99 2/3 innings pitched since the 2017 season, Vizcaíno owns a 2.53 ERA while striking out nearly 10 batters per nine frames.
"When he's right, he's one of the best there is," Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Vizcaíno. " ... You hope that guys step up and take advantage of the opportunities that they're going to get. It's how you find people, how you find your next wave of guys is to give them the opportunity."
The news arrives at an inopportune time for an Atlanta bullpen ranking 25th in league- and park-adjusted FIP, 23rd in adjusted ERA and 27th in walk rate. Vizcaíno joins an injury list that also includes Atlanta bullpen options Jonny Venters and Darren O'Day.
“There’s obviously been a ton of turnover there," Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said of his team's relief corps. "So that's something that we're going to look to try to do some things if we can.”
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