With exactly four weeks to go until the Braves lift the lid on the 2019 regular season in Philly, the club’s projected Opening Day starter has been scratched from his second Grapefruit League start tomorrow with right elbow soreness. Brian Snitker announced on Thursday morning that Folty’s next time through the rotation would be skipped and he’d be evaluated by Head Team Physician Dr. Gary Lourie on Saturday.

“After the last start, it kind of bit him a little bit” Brian Snitker said on Thursday. “If this was during the season, he wouldn’t miss a start” Snit added, saying the team is erring on the side of caution when it comes to his 27 year old righty. While the words “elbow soreness” are certainly alarming when referring to the man viewed as the ace of the staff this season, there’s a great deal of optimism that he’ll be throwing again soon. While his fastball was only in the low to mid 90’s on Sunday in West Palm, Folty mixed in his whole arsenal, throwing a number of sliders, changeups and even a few curveballs as well and was in good spirits after the start.

Elbow soreness isn’t new to Foltynewicz, who dealt with similar discomfort during the 2018 season, and missed time to a similar issue back in 2016. So, for now, I’m sure Braves fans are all holding their collective breath in regards to Folty’s health. And while there are more questions than answers at this point, we should have much more clarity on his status over the weekend. While Snit didn’t have a timetable for when he could resume throwing, Snit applauded Folty for coming forward and bringing it to the attention of the training staff. “I’d rather they come forward with that kind of stuff early when there still is time to rectify it” the skipper added.

Kevin McAlpin has covered the Braves since 2012 for @680TheFan and the @BravesRadioNet