PHOENIX – The Braves have recalled Aaron Blair from Triple-A to start Wednesday’s series finale against the Diamondbacks, manager Brian Snitker confirmed late Tuesday after Atlanta’s 8-3 win at Chase Field.
It would have been Jaime Garcia’s rotation turn Wednesday but the left-hander was traded Monday to the Twins.
Blair was flown to Los Angeles last week to take Garcia’s spot if he’d been traded to the Twins before his Friday start against the Dodgers, but Blair returned to Gwinnett after that proposed trade fell through due to a health concern with the Twins pitching prospect to be included in the deal.
The Braves had Blair throw one inning Sunday for Gwinnett to keep him in line to take Garcia’s next start since it was a near-certainty he’d be traded this week, which he was after the Twins and Braves agreed on another Minnesota pitching prospect, 19-year-old Huascar Ynoa.
The Braves also included Triple-A catcher Anthony Recker and $100,000 cash in the deal, with the Cardinals picking up all of the $4.55 million owed to Garcia for the remainder of this season.
Blair, who is 4-2 with a 4.17 ERA at Gwinnett, is likely just a temporary fill-in for Garcia, with Triple-A pitchers Lucas Sims and veteran Kris Medlen as options to move into the spot long-term if the Braves don’t make a move to add another starter before the Monday (July 31) trade deadline.
Sims, 23, a former first-round draft pick from Brookwood High who’s not pitched in the majors, is 2-1 with a 3.26 ERA and .211 opponents’ average in his past five Triple-A starts with 43 strikeouts and just four walks in 30 1/3 innings.
Medlen, a former Braves standout who’s already overcome two Tommy John surgeries, is trying to get back to the majors with the Braves after shoulder problems slowed him last season with the Royals. He’s 3-3 with a 4.41 ERA in 12 minor league starts at three levels.
Though he’s just 1-2 with a 5.15 ERA in eight starts at Gwinnett, Medlen is 1-0 with a 2.50 ERA in his past three starts while totaling 16 strikeouts with two walks in 18 innings.
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