Tennessee Baseball Star Undergoes Surgery and Will Not Pitch in 2027

The Tennessee Volunteers have been progressing towards their second season of baseball on the diamond under head coach Josh Elander, who previosuly served as the hitting coach along with the third base coach under Tony Vitello.

Elander and his staff had plenty of great things come their way when it comes to the offseason, but unfortunately, they have received what seems to be their most unfortunate news thus far. That being that current two-way star Blaine Brown underwent surgery on his elbow that will cause him to miss some reps.

He is expected to miss the entirety of fall camp, although he is also expected to miss the full season as a pitcher, as the procedure that he reportedly underwent was an internal brace procedure following an injury that he suffered in the Cape Cod League, according to Ryan Schumpert. This requires what seems to be a lengthy recovery that could take upwards of a year if there are even minor setbacks.

There is Still a Role That Blaine Brown Can Play

While this keeps him off the mound for the 2027 season, the good news is that he will be able to play, even if it means he isn't serving as a two-way player. The main question that now arises is if he will be able to play in the field, considering he will need to use his arm to gun down runners at home. If I were a betting man, I would say that he is unlikely to play in the field, and that Elander will likely look for people to take over the outfield so they can limit his usage with his arm, which is also something that could tank his draft stock entirely. Tennessee can expect him to be back and healthy to at least hit before the start of the season, as he very well could be in the opening day lineup for Tennessee.

Blaine Brown's 2026 Campaign

Brown wasn't the best pitcher on the roster by any means, but he was still solid in the limited work that he got. He finished the season with five strikeouts in just three innings of work. He walked three batters and gave up one hit, one run, and one earned run. This brought his ERA to 3.00. He was expected to get some reps as a pitcher, but it remained a question mark how often he would actually get to pitch.

Brown's biggest production came at the plate, where he finished the season with 54 hits along with a total of 42 RBIs. He also finished with 13 home runs throughout the season, making him one of the more reliable hitters on the roster.

Tennessee will need him back healthy and at his best, as he is expected to be one of the stars for the team at the plate, although he will no longer have the chance to play a two-way role, which ultimately hurts the bullpen as a whole.

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