Ryan Braun to have offseason back surgery
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun has experienced a resurgence this season, but it’s going to end on a sour note. The 31-year-old outfielder admitted Monday that he’ll have to undergo back surgery during the offseason.
Braun has missed the past three games due to a stiff back, but the issue has bothered him for a couple weeks now. While he finally spoke about the surgery Monday, Braun said he’s known about it for quite some time, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
“We have to make sure we don’t allow [a setback] to happen,” Braun said. “We’ve known for a while that I’m going to have to have surgery, so we’ve been trying to battle through it. The danger is that if it gets worse, then the recovery time with the surgery could get a lot longer.”
The club doesn’t want to Braun to experience a setback, which explains why they’ve been cautious with his injury lately. The Brewers have already been officially eliminated from the playoffs, so it’s unclear how many more games Braun will play as the season winds down.
While the surgery doesn’t seem all that serious, it’s not a great sign for a player who has dealt with significant injuries the past couple seasons. A nerve issue, and 50-game suspension, limited Braun in 2013. That injury lingered into 2014, causing Braun to post career-worst numbers in a fair amount of offensive categories. After a down year, Braun decided to have cryogenic surgery on his thumb to correct the issue.
Things appeared to be back to normal in 2015. Braun made the All-Star team for the first time since 2012, and was starting to look like his vintage form again. The outfielder is hitting .287/.359/.503, with 25 home runs, over 562 plate appearances.
If the back injury has impacted him lately, it hasn’t shown up in his numbers. Braun has hit an incredible .340/.417/.544 since the trade deadline.
The Brewers have to hope the offseason surgery doesn’t set Braun back. He’s the one player the team has invested in over the long-term. Braun’s five-year, $105 million extension doesn’t kick in until the start of next season. The team made the decision to build around Braun a couple years ago, and need him to be healthy if they hope to get back in contention.
Overall, it doesn’t seem like there’s a ton to worry about. Back surgery is never pleasant, but Braun seems to be in a decent place right now. As long as he’s ready by the start of next season, the Brewers will be in good shape.
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After two down years, Braun proved that he still has something left in the tank in 2015. The back injury may be a small setback, but the team has to be happy with his production this season. They’ll need more of the same if they are counting on a quick turnaround.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
