Dallas

Braden

Braden is coming back from offseason shoulder surgery. He’ll likely be assigned to Double-A once his rehab is complete.

Braden is trying to make it back from major shoulder surgery. He was hoping to return to action in early May, but this setback likely pushes his timetable into June. The 28-year-old southpaw was given a platelet rich plasma injection on Tuesday.

It’s not clear when he’ll begin one, but it shouldn’t be far off. Braden, who is coming back from major shoulder surgery, was shut down from throwing for more than a month after a setback at the end of spring training. He’s without a timetable.

Oakland’s plan is to have Braden open the year on the DL and then make his season debut on April 16, which is the first day they’ll need a fifth starter. Of course, there’s a long way to go before he can really be penciled in.

The Athletics were hoping that Braden would be ready for major league action by early May, but he reportedly suffered a strain that could throw him off course for several weeks. The 28-year-old left-hander underwent surgery last May to repair a torn capsule in his throwing shoulder.

It’s just a procedural move, as Braden isn’t expected back until at least June. He experienced a setback at the end of spring training and has yet to appear in any rehab games.

“I feel like every day we’re making progress in terms of being able to stretch it out a little farther, put a little more on it, and the biggest area of focus is the bounceback,” said Braden. “Everything has been positive thus far in terms of that. I’ve continued to get stronger.” Braden is expected to open the season on the disabled list, but the hope is that he could be back when the A’s need a fifth starter on April 16.

It’s the first time he’s thrown in a month after he had a setback in his recovery from shoulder surgery. Braden remains without a timetable, and at this point we’d be surprised if he contributes anything noteworthy before the All-Star break.

The A’s had originally been hoping to have Braden ready by mid-April when they needed a fifth starter for the first time, but they’ll evidently take things a little slower with him. Coming back from shoulder surgery, Braden has been throwing fastballs from a mound with no issues and is expected to begin throwing breaking balls soon.

Braden is currently working his way back from surgery to repair a torn capsule muscle in his left shoulder. If all goes well, he could return sometime in May.