Braves reliever Tyler Matzek on his injury and his current progress

Shortly before he went on the injured list, Tyler Matzek reported left elbow soreness and stiffness. He felt he might need a couple of days off to let it calm down. Upon learning of this, Braves head athletic trainer George Poulis sent Matzek for a precautionary MRI.

The MRI showed what Matzek called “flexor signaling.” In layman’s terms, there was an issue with the flexor tendon in his left elbow area.

“So it wasn’t even on the (ulnar collateral ligament), it was on the flexor,” Maztek told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “So they were thinking (it was) a flexor strain, flexor tear, flexor something – something was going on with the flexor. That was the big concern. It wasn’t the UCL. The UCL graft looks fantastic. It wasn’t just general inflammation either. It was a specific spot on the flexor.”

When the Braves saw the MRI, they wanted to send it to Dr. Keith Meister for evaluation. In 2022, Meister performed Tommy John surgery on Matzek in Arlington, Texas. Meister wanted to see Matzek to ensure his elbow was fine. Meister reviewed Matzek’s MRI.

It ended up, Matzek said, being something he and the Braves knew “we can’t mess around with.” They agreed to give it around six weeks to heal and be cautious with it. (In their labeling of the injury, the Braves have called it “left elbow inflammation.”)

Meister used the term “flexor signaling” with Matzek. The left-handed reliever asked Meister if this was only inflammation.

“He’s like, ‘It’s just telling me on this MRI that there’s something that’s not happy right here, and we need to let this calm down,’” Matzek recalled. “So, that’s what we did and I feel fantastic, and in the checkup, everything looked good. He said the UCL looks fantastic, so I’m pleased with that.”

Tommy John surgery is done to repair a damaged UCL. It’s good news that Matzek’s UCL has held up. It’s not uncommon for pitchers to have an injury in their return from Tommy John – the process rarely isn’t linear.

Matzek’s last appearance came May 4. He is coming up on two months without pitching in a game, but he’s been building up.

Matzek has been throwing for a couple of weeks. He’s played long toss up to 105 feet. The goal is to throw from 120 feet before getting on a mound. Throwing off the mound is what will give Matzek and the Braves the best information about how long it might be until the lefty can return to the bullpen.

“I don’t want to put a timeline on it because I don’t know exactly,” Matzek said. “Once we get off the mound is once we really start figuring out how much work I’m gonna need to get to game-ready. We’re still in a build-up phase, and once we get to (throwing off a mound), then we can decide, ‘Okay, where’s the skill set at right now?’”

Before going on the injured list, Matzek couldn’t extend his arm to its full extent while pitching. The flexor tendon bothered him.

In 10 innings with the Braves before hitting the injured list, Matzek allowed 11 earned runs. Opponents scored on him in five of his 11 appearances.

Matzek became a fan-favorite with his 2021 postseason. He authored one of the best moments in Braves postseason history when he struck out three consecutive Dodgers to escape a jam in the Braves’ clinching victory over Los Angeles.

In October 2022, Matzek visited Meister and underwent Tommy John surgery. He sat out all of 2023.

Matzek will be a free agent this winter if the Braves don’t pick up his $5.5 million club option.

He’s a competitor. If you’ve ever watched the Braves, you know how much he cares. He wants to be pitching.

So to be missing more time after being out all of 2023 following Tommy John surgery?

“I’m gonna be honest: It sucks. But it is what it is, it’s part of it,” Matzek said. “These things happen. From what I’ve been (told), very rarely is a UCL surgery just straightforward – you got the one year (off) and then you’re back in there. Almost always, they have something. And so I think this is just part of the process. I’m just gonna kind of ride it and do everything I can to get back out on the field as soon as possible.”

Get all the news about the Atlanta Braves delivered each morning. Sign up for Braves Report.