The Braves placed John Smoltz on the 15-day DL as the pitcher is expected to have season-ending shoulder surgery. Smoltz had said in the past that if he were to undergo another shoulder surgery that he would retire.
“I said I would retire if the desire was gone,” Smoltz said on Wednesday. “I’m not there yet. I’m not there emotionally. Physically, [that’s] still to be determined.”
Smoltz pitched through pain in his shoulder during last season’s final four months and encountered further discomfort during the last two weeks of Spring Training this year. After making five regular season starts, he decided that he couldn’t continue as a starting pitcher.
Andrews examined Smoltz on April 29 and concluded that the shoulder discomfort was a product of inflammation in his rotator cuff and biceps tendon.
It’ll be a sad day when Smoltz does decide to hang up his cleats, but he is 41 and there’s a ton of mileage on his arm and shoulder. If he does retire, he’ll certainly go out on top. Cy Young winner in 1996, eight-time All-Star, 210 career wins, 3,011 strikeouts – Smoltzy has certainly been a gamer.
