Jonny Venters recent trip to Dr. James Andrews revealed the worst possible news for the left-handed reliever; a third tear of the ulnar collateral ligament of BravesRadioNet and 680 The Fan. Venters has missed the 2014 season rehabbing from a 2013 UCL reconstruction, which was the second of his career, with the first coming in 2005. He had been travelling with the Braves in recent weeks and was slated to throw of a mound this month, but had been unable to do so due to lingering soreness, prompting the visit to Dr. Andrews.
Jonny Venters tears UCL for the third time
It’s not yet known whether he’ll pursue a third Tommy John surgery.
Daniel Shirey
The list of players who have returned from a second Tommy John surgery is getting longer every year, though it's mostly limited to relievers with Chris Capuano as a notable exception. Those returning from a third reconstruction is rarer still, with Jason Isringhausen and Jose Rijo the prominent members of that particular club.
Whether Venters will attempt another surgery and rehab is unknown, but the odds are not in his favor, with one surgeon stating, per James Wagner of the Washington Post:
While Tommy John surgery can be extremely successful, with success rates as high as the 90th percentile, one surgeon said that the second surgery’s success rate can drop to the 60 percent range. A third time, obviously, even less.
Venters had compiled a 1.89 ERA between the 2010-11 seasons, totaling 171 innings, 189 strikouts, 82 walks and 114 hits. 2012 saw a bit of a slip, as he threw fewer than 60 innings, recording a 3.22 ERA and 69 strikeouts against 28 walks. He gave up more than a hit per inning for the first time in his career. He blew out his elbow in spring training of 2013, and hasn’t been able to pitch since. His first elbow reconstruction came in 2005.
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