After going two weeks without a veteran setup man in front of Craig Kimbrel, the Braves got right-hander Jordan Walden back in the fold Wednesday, activating him from the 15-day disabled list.
The Braves optioned Cory Rasmus back to Triple-A Gwinnett. The move keeps the Braves bullpen at six relievers and puts off a tough decision they’d be forced to make to one of their position players. Players like Evan Gattis and Jordan Schafer might have seemed logical candidates to send down before the season started, but they aren’t anymore. And the Braves would prefer to keep both Reed Johnson and Gerald Laird as well.
“We’ll keep working through it,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “Ten, 12 years ago, it’s not that big a deal. And really the only times you feel uncomfortable is when it’s late in the game or extra-inning games and you’ve got one guy down there, two guys down there. Other than that, it’s very, very manageable to have a six-man bullpen.”
Walden had been out since May 17 with shoulder inflammation but a week of rest followed by strength and exercise program has served him well. Walden pitched a scoreless inning in a minor league rehab outing Monday night for Gwinnett in Syracuse.
Walden said he was throwing his fastball with as much or more velocity than he has all season – sitting at 96 mph and touching 97.
“My arm feels good and my slider was very good,” Walden said. “It was probably the best I’ve seen it in a couple years. That was really encouraging.”
The Braves are without their top two left-handed setup men, Eric O’Flaherty and Jonny Venters, both of whom underwent season-ending “Tommy John” surgery within a six-day span during the Braves previous homestand. But Gonzalez said given Walden’s success against left-handed hitters, he can use him in similar situations. For his career, left-handers have hit .207 against Walden compared to .265 for right-handers, and for this season left-handers are hitting .212 off him compared to .455 by right-handers.
Rasmus got the experience of his first two major league outings and a chance to face his brother Colby Rasmus, who doubled off him Monday night in Toronto. Rasmus gave up five runs, including three home runs, in 3 2/3 innings overall.
“I feel like I pitched a little too cautious instead of just relying on my stuff and attacking the guys,” Rasmus said. “That put me in hitter’s counts and they were able to look for things and when they got them they hit them. But I felt good. I’m happy with everything and having the opportunity. That’s the biggest thing is being able to get here and learning so next time it’ll be a better outcome.”
