The Atlanta Braves have a deep and continually improving roster of pitchers. A.J. Minter has just returned from injury, Ian Anderson is performing well in his rehab starts, and AJ Smith-Shawver is nearing a comeback.
However, the Braves are losing another top prospect to an elbow injury for the next year. According to a source, Cade Kuehler is headed to Florida to undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow before the end of the month. He will spend the next year rehabilitating with the FCL Braves. Kuehler is ranked as the No. 8 prospect in the Atlanta Braves’ farm system by MLB.com and was a second-round pick in last year’s draft out of Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C.
Kuehler had been pitching well this season in Augusta, with a 3-5 record for the GreenJackets. Although his record wasn’t impressive, his 2.52 ERA was notable. He demonstrated good command with 44 strikeouts against 30 walks and a WHIP of 1.22.
Kuehler, who turned 22 in May, had an outstanding career at Campbell before being drafted by the Braves in 2023. In 2023, he was named first-team all-Big South and earned second-team all-America honors from NCBWA. He made 13 starts with a team-best 2.71 ERA, achieving an 8-1 record and striking out a team-high 91 batters in 73.0 innings pitched. He surpassed 200 career strikeouts and climbed to fourth in program history with 243. He held opponents to a .199 batting average, went 5-0 with a 1.96 ERA in conference play, and posted a perfect 7-0 record during the regular season. Kuehler recorded eight quality starts, earning wins in five straight starts from March 3 to March 31. He struck out 10 in 6.0 innings to win against Louisiana on March 3, tossed six shutout innings with only two hits against Radford on March 24, and struck out a season-high 13 across 6.0 shutout innings with only one hit against PC on April 6. He was named Big South Starting Pitcher of the Week consecutively on April 10 and April 17.