Head coach Scott Stricklin said Tuesday night that Tucker Bradley’s right shoulder is more seriously injured than originally thought.

It was first believed that the Bulldogs’ starting left fielder would only have to miss a couple of weeks, but after originally being diagnosed with a shoulder sprain that occurred during Game 3 of the opening series against Dayton, Bradley’s future the rest of the season is now apparently in doubt.

“He’s getting better, but we’re going to have to make a decision here pretty soon as far as what we’re going to do, whether or not he’s going to come back and try to play through the injury, or if we’re going to do something to fix it,” Stricklin said after Georgia’s 11-3 win over Alabama State.

If surgery is elected, Stricklin said that would mean Bradley would miss the rest of the year.

“That’s (surgery) something that’s going to come down between him, the trainers, and his family making a decision,” Stricklin said. “The injury was more serious than what we originally thought. It’s kind of up in the air right now. We’re hoping he can come back. It’s not looking great, but it’s not out of the question.”

Bradley, who hit .314 as a freshman and .299 last year as a sophomore, suffered the injury to his non-throwing shoulder (his right) while diving for a ball against the Flyers.

“If we make that decision, it will be one that we all make collectively. Certainly, he and his family will have input on it. We’ll just have to figure out what’s best for him in the long run and make that decision,” Stricklin said. “Selfishly, we want him to play and he’s such a competitor it’s killing him not to play. We’ll make the decision that’s best for him, but we have to make it soon before the first half of the season.”

If surgery is required, Bradley would be eligible for a medical redshirt. College baseball rules state that a player can qualify as long as he doesn't play in more than 20 percent (12) of his team’s contests before the season’s halfway point of 28 games.

Twelve games into the season, the Bulldogs (10-2) have until the finale of their series at Kentucky (March 28-30) before they have to make a call.

“We’ve still got a few weeks to make it,” Stricklin said. “He’s getting better, he swung the bat today, and he’s been playing catch. It’s his non-throwing arm; he’s able to have some range of motion in his shoulder, and like I said, he swung the bat some today. He’s getting better, but he’s not good enough to play.”

Bradley was 2 of 9 at the plate before being sidelined.

Since the injury, three players—C.J. Smith, Chaney Rogers, and freshman Randon Jernigan—have earned starts in left field, although Jernigan may be surging ahead after his hot start at the plate, including Tuesday’s 4-for-6 effort against Alabama State.