BREAKING: Former Auburn reliever Blake Burkhalter to have Tommy John surgery, miss 2023 season
Former Auburn reliever Blake Burkhalter, drafted in the 2nd round (compensatory) by the Atlanta Braves in the 2022 MLB Draft, is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery and will miss the 2023 season, multiple sources have confirmed to Auburn Daily.
Burkhalter, 22, was named a 2nd Team All-American at Auburn in 2022 after finishing 2nd in NCAA with 16 saves and going 4-2 with a 3.69 ERA on the season. He was selected with the 76th pick by the Braves and despite being announced as a starting pitcher, was a non-roster invitee to spring training as a reliever.
He pitched on Sunday, throwing a scoreless inning against the Yankees with one walk and two strikeouts.
The righthander is scheduled to have surgery on Friday in Dallas, performed by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister, with an estimated recovery of 15-18 months before returning to game action.
Burkhalter became a viral sensation during Auburn's 2022 trip to the College World Series, where he pitched the final 2.1 innings scoreless against Stanford with five strikeouts to seal Auburn's first victory at the College World Series.
After being selected by the Braves in the 2nd round, stories emerged about Atlanta's front office receiving a key endorsement for the reliever from a very well-qualified source: Former Atlanta Braves pitcher (and then-Auburn pitching coach) Tim Hudson.
UPDATE: Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker confirmed the news on Thursday, addressing the media before Thursday's Grapefruit League game.
Said Snitker, “I hate it for him. He was doing so well. I was excited to watch him go. It’s just probably something that was inevitable. He’s going to have a year-later start. He’ll come back stronger than ever, but I like everything about that young man and what I saw, and the makeup and the stuff and everything, and I hate it for him, coming into his first spring.
“That’s tough, but I’m pretty confident that he’s a tough kid. He’ll get through it, and he’ll come back and feel good and be fine.”
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