Luiz

Gohara

Gohara was a highly-ranked prospect not all that long ago, but he ran into shoulder issues in the spring of 2019 and ultimately got released by the Braves before the end of the season. He went on to sign a minor league contract with the Angels, and it’s all but official that there will be no minor league baseball games in 2020. The 23-year-old left-hander might not get another shot until 2021.

Gohara was released by the Braves after he was designated for assignment to make room for Atlanta’s trade deadline acquisitions. The 23-year-old hasn’t pitched this year, and the former top prospect is just a reclamation project at this point. Still, because he’s so young -- and once showed legitimate swing-and-miss stuff -- there’s at least a little bit of intrigue left.

Gohara was a top-50 prospect just a couple years ago, but he missed a large chunk of last season with shoulder issues and has yet to pitch this year. It’s telling that he passed through waivers unclaimed, but the lefty just turned 23 so he will get another opportunity somewhere.

Gohara was once a promising prospect for Atlanta, but the 23-year-old southpaw holds a 5.33 ERA in 49 career major league innings and he has struggled with shoulder issues for much of this season. Still, he could certainly attract interest from other teams on waivers.

Obviously, it’s going to be a while before he’s an option to join the Braves. Gohara has been dealing with shoulder issues dating back to last season.

Gohara showed up to camp in great shape but quickly developed more shoulder issues. He’ll be part of Gwinnett’s rotation when he’s healthy.

Gohara experienced some lingering tightness in his troublesome left shoulder late last month, but he’s thrown two bullpen sessions since and is set for live batting practice on Wednesday morning in Braves camp. The talented 22-year-old southpaw should get a long look in Atlanta at some point this season after being limited to 19 2/3 major league innings in 2018. He reportedly dropped 35-40 pounds over the winter.

Gohara finished the 2018 season on the disabled list with a left shoulder injury and apparently isn’t quite over it. There is no timetable for his Grapefruit League debut, though he will continue to throw on the side.

It’s especially notable for Gohara, who has had conditioning issues throughout his pro career. The 22-year-old left-hander is coming off a lost 2018 season that saw him split time between the majors and minors and not pitch particularly well at either stop. Gohara is on the outside looking in for a rotation spot as camp begins, but his upside remains high so it will be interesting to see if the weight loss helps steer him to a rebound.

He held Beloit to five hits and three walks while throwing 55 of his 81 pitches for strikes. The left-hander has twirled six consecutive quality starts with a 1.70 ERA during that span. The 20-year-old from Venezuela boasts a stellar 11.05 K/9 in 10 starts between Clinton and Short-Season Everett this year. Gohara has made huge strides since last season when he went just 3-8 with a miserable 5.54 ERA in 16 outings.