Atlanta Braves right-hander Kyle Wright led the Major Leagues with 21 pitching wins in the 2022 season.

In 2023, the former Buckhorn High School star made only seven starts for Atlanta. Wright isn’t on the Braves’ roster as they play the Philadelphia Phillies in a National League Division Series, and Braves manager Brian Snitker doesn’t know when Wright will pitch next.

Snitker dropped a bombshell on Atlanta fans when asked about Wright’s postseason status.

“Kyle’s not right,” Snitker said. “He had an MRI (Friday), and he’s going to have to have a procedure done in order to get him right. We’re going to confer with the doctors and decide exactly what it is. But you could tell he wasn’t right in the last three or four outings in the regular season, and it just wasn’t going to be.”

Asked if Wright would be ready to go for spring training in 2024, Snitker’s answer brought home the seriousness of the situation.

“I don’t think so,” Snitker said. “I think what they’re talking about doing, and like I say, this is all for him to discuss with the doctors. I mean it’s something that looking at it, he’s going to miss next year. …

“I hate it for him. It’s a tough decision, No. 1, when you have to tell him he didn’t make the roster. But the reason, and then I think he just — I mean, he said he wants to get everything taken care of then. I hate it for the person just because the kid wants to be out there. Coming off a year like he did last year, I know it killed him all year to not be out here. It’s hard, and there was something going on and they found it (Friday).”

Shoulder issues wrecked Wright’s 2023 season after he had a breakthrough showing in 2022. After four seasons up and down with the Braves, Wright posted a 21-5 record with a 3.19 earned-run average in 30 starts for Atlanta. He also pitched six shutout innings for a win over the Phillies in the postseason.

In 2023, Wright didn’t pitch for the Braves between May 3 and Sept. 11. He had three minor-league rehab outings in between. For the season, Wright went 1-3 with a 6.97 ERA in nine games for Atlanta.

A two-time All-State player at Buckhorn, where he played for his father, Roger Wright, Kyle Wright pitched three seasons at Vanderbilt before going pro as the fifth player picked in the 2017 draft. He made his big-league debut the next year.

The Braves lost the opener of their best-of-five series with Philadelphia 3-0 on Saturday. The series resumes at 5:07 p.m. CDT Monday at Truist Park in Atlanta. TBS will televise the game.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.