Braves Pitcher Kris Medlen Strains Forearm In Loss To Mets (GIF)

Atlanta Braves pitcher Kris Medlen left Sunday’s game against the New York Mets after straining his right forearm in the fourth inning.

Medlen hurt his arm on his second pitch of the day. He immediately skipped off the mound to shake out his arm and appeared to be in severe pain.

The 28-year-old’s injury comes shortly after Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez postponed announcing his starter for Opening Day. The Braves considered Medlen a strong contender to take the rubber in the season-opener, but his damaged arm might remove him from the discussion.

Medlen, who went 15-12 with a 3.11 ERA last season, is expected to have an MRI on Monday. The Braves are calling the injury a strain, but if it’s more severe, Medlen might need his second Tommy John surgery in four years. Medlen went 10-1 with a 1.57 ERA in 12 starts in 2012, his first season back from surgery.

“We’re going to wait and see,” Gonzalez said, via MLB.com. “Any time a pitcher walks off the mound and meets you in the foul line, you worry about that kind of stuff. But after all of that kind of settled down, we’re optimistic that it’s nothing major.”

The Braves did not waste time acquiring pitching alternatives, trading for Chicago White Sox right-hander Zach Stewart on Monday.

“You never feel like you have enough [pitchers] because stuff like this happens all of the time,” Gonzalez said.

Check out Medlen’s strain and painful reaction in the GIF below.

Kris Medlen injures arm on second pitch