ATLANTA -- The Braves said goodbye Thursday to Kevin McGlinchy, the hard-throwing reliever who gave the club a rock-solid 1999 and then vanished into the training room.

McGlinchy, who has not appeared in a major league game in 14 months, was the first player taken in the Rule 5 draft, selected by Tampa Bay. Although he could have helped Atlanta's half-empty bullpen, McGlinchy, rehabilitated from March rotator cuff surgery, had been left off Atlanta's 40-man roster.

"The guy would have been invited to spring training to see what he could do," Braves general manager John Schuerholz said. "He wasn't in line for anything because he hasn't pitched for the better part of two years."

As a 22-year-old rookie, McGlinchy went 7-3 with a 2.82 ERA in 70 relief appearances three years ago but encountered nothing but trouble after that. He pitched eight innings in 2000 between two long stints on the disabled list because of shoulder stiffness, and was one of the first casualties last spring training when a partial tear was discovered in his right rotator cuff.