ATLANTA — First, there was the news that Kyle Wright had been placed on the 60-day injured list, putting a screeching halt on any chances he might pitch for the Atlanta Braves this offseason. Then manager Brian Snitker dropped the bombshell before NLDS Game 1 on Saturday night that Wright had also been lost for the 2024 campaign.
Likely undergoing shoulder surgery that will cost him all of next season, Wright's unavailability for 2024 will certainly cause the Braves to do some thinking this offseason about how to replace the right-hander who won 21 games in 2022 but missed a majority of this season with injuries.
However, that's the future. On Saturday, for the Braves, it was all about the present and their reactions to the Wright injury news ahead of facing the Phillies for the right to move on to the NLCS.
How the Atlanta Braves reacted to the Kyle Wright injury news
"Kyle is not right. He had an MRI yesterday, and he's going to have to have a procedure done in order to get him right," Snitker told reporters on Saturday. "And we are going to confer with the doctors and decide exactly what it is. But you could tell he wasn't right in the last three or four outings in the regular season.
When asked about 2024, Snitker was clear regarding Wright.
"Looking at it, he's going to miss next year," Snitker said.
"Obviously you feel for Kyle," Atlanta first baseman Matt Olson said. "I know he worked hard to try to get back and feel right this year. Like you said, 21 (win) guy, you don't just stumble across that, so we know the kind of guy Kyle is and stuff that he has and what he means on the mound for us.
"But stuff happens, and the health is the number one thing. So they tried to avoid it and see if it was something he could work through, but clearly it's something he needs to get fixed and have heal properly.
"So sucks that he has to miss next year, but the overall long-term health is number one. So hopefully he gets right, and we'll see him the next year."
Max Fried, who just came off the injured list in time to get the start on Monday night in Game 2 of the NLDS, was caught off guard by the news about the extent of Wright's injury. Still, Fried's thoughts immediately went to the well-being of his colleague in the rotation and his disappointment in not being able to be a part of Atlanta's postseason journey.
"To be honest, that's news to me. So I don't know too much about the details, but I know that I rehabbed a lot with Kyle throughout this year. We spent a lot of time together. He worked extremely hard to try to come back and battle, and I know he wanted to be a part of this run and into this playoffs and that's what he set his goals out to be," Fried said.
"So just to hear that he's not going to be with us throughout the playoffs, it's really disheartening, just for him. He's put in so much work, and he's grinded. So to hear that,you feel for him, but I know that he's one of the hardest workers that I've seen. He's going to do everything that he can to make sure that he gets back to form and be able to compete and have success here for a long time."
