Braves 2022 second round pick Blake Burkhalter to have Tommy John, per report

Braves 2022 second-round pick, RHP Blake Burkhalter, is set to undergo Tommy John surgery, according to a report from Lindsay Crosby of SI.com.

Burkhalter spent his college career at Auburn as a pure reliever where he made 2nd Team All-American in 2022 with a 3.69 ERA. Later that summer, the Braves made him their second round pick and the 76th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. Despite profiling as a reliever out of college, there was some thought the Braves might see how Burkhalter would fair as a starter, a strategy the Braves have implemented in the past.

Burkhalter was a non-roster invitee to major league camp this spring and had pitched as recently as Sunday, where he threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts against the Yankees. The team announced Wednesday that Burkhalter had been re-assigned to minor league camp.