Brandon Beachy expects to have no restrictions in spring training

Braves right-hander Brandon Beachy has been limited to just five starts in the majors since Tommy John surgery in June of 2012, but he’s hoping for better luck on the health front this year.

Elbow inflammation pushed Beachy’s season debut back to July 29 last year and he eventually underwent surgery in September to remove a bone spur and loose fragments. However, he was among the pitchers present for day one of the Braves’ voluntary throwing program at Turner Field today and told Mark Bowman of MLB.com that he’ll have no restrictions going into spring training:

“I’m going to be a little smarter than I have been in the past, with not worrying about velocity the first couple of outings and things like that,” Beachy said. “But I’m going to be on the same schedule as everybody else.”

Beachy is still just 27 years old and owns a 3.23 ERA and 275/86 K/BB ratio over 267 2/3 innings in the majors, so there’s some serious upside if he’s finally back to full health. Veteran right-hander Freddy Garcia was brought back last week as insurance for the rotation while Gavin Floyd could be an option at some point during the first half assuming all goes well in his recovery from Tommy John surgery.

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