Walt Weiss Addresses Concern Over Robert Suarez's Forearm Injury

Robert Suarez has been one of the best relievers in baseball this season, so his absence from Tuesday night's bullpen caught everyone's attention.

The Atlanta Braves fell to the San Diego Padres 7-6 in 10 innings at Petco Park, and after the game, manager Walt Weiss confirmed that Suarez was dealing with right forearm soreness.

"It's some forearm soreness," Weiss said. "I know the alarm bells go off when you hear forearm, but we don't think it's serious."

Any time the word "forearm" shows up next to a pitcher's name on an injury report, people are going to pay attention.

Forearm soreness in pitchers has long been seen as a warning sign for bigger problems, from flexor strains to UCL damage that can lead to surgery.

That puts a fanbase on edge, and Weiss seemed to understand that when he spoke to reporters after Tuesday's loss.

The 35-year-old signed a three-year, $45 million deal with the Braves last December after two straight All-Star seasons as San Diego's closer.

In his first year with Atlanta, Suarez has been nearly untouchable, posting a 4-0 record with a 0.56 ERA and 0.84 WHIP across 31 appearances while filling the primary setup role in front of Raisel Iglesias.

Losing access to him, even briefly, changes how the Braves can piece together late innings.

That showed itself Tuesday, when Weiss only had three relievers he could turn to in Dylan Lee, Carlos Carrasco, and Iglesias.

Without Suarez bridging the gap to the back end of the bullpen, Carrasco was stretched into extra work, and Fernando Tatis Jr. tagged him for a game-tying solo homer in the seventh.

Weiss sounded hopeful about the timeline, noting that Suarez wanted to test things quickly.

"[Suarez] said he wants to come in tomorrow and play catch and see how it feels," Weiss said. "It's just one of those things that creeps up over the course of the season from time to time with these pitchers and you've got to nip it in the bud."

The Braves sit at 48-30, still holding first in the NL East by 5.5 games over Philadelphia, but the recent slide has been difficult to stomach.

Atlanta has dropped three straight and nine of its last 12, a stretch that has lined up with a wave of injuries across the roster.

Suarez's forearm joining that list only adds another layer of concern during an already rough patch.

Weiss did not seem overly alarmed, though.

The Braves have navigated injury trouble all season long, from Spencer Schwellenbach's early arm problems to Iglesias' shoulder issue that pushed Suarez into the closer role for a stretch earlier in the year.

Atlanta's depth has been tested all year, and the front office built this roster with that in mind, but if the forearm soreness sticks around, the conversation shifts quickly.