The Braves had a full roster again Thursday after they promoted left-hander Matt Marksberry and right-hander Jose Ramirez from Triple-A Gwinnett. Both players will pitch out of the bullpen.
The Braves were down two players for Wednesday’s game at the Twins. They completed a trade that afternoon in which they received minor league prospect Travis Demeritte from the Rangers and sent them Lucas Harrell and Dario Alvarez.
Ramirez, 26, is back for his second stint with the Braves this season. He was sent down to Gwinnett after he allowed five earned runs in one inning against the Cardinals on April 10. At Gwinnett, Ramirez pitched 14 consecutive scoreless innings before allowing a one run in each of his past two appearances.
Before this season Ramirez appeared in 16 games for the Yankees and Mariners over 2014 and 2015. He entered Thursday with a 10.53 ERA in 18 career outings.
“The arm has always been there,” Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said. “He came when I was down there (as Gwinnett’s manager), and it was like we need to stay after this guy because there is something there if we can get him going. This is a guy who is a big arm guy. He seems like he’s been a lot more consistent.”
Marksberry, 25, begins his third stint with the Braves this season after he made 31 appearances for them as a rookie in 2015. He entered Thursday with a 5.40 ERA in 33 games.
The bullpen badly needed reinforcements. Eight Braves relievers covered 6 2/3 innings during the two-game sweep of the Twins, with Mauricio Cabrera (2 1/3 innings) and Jim Johnson (two innings) pitching in both games.
“It’s kind of rework it a little bit (and see) who is the freshest guy out there and keep everybody in play,” Snitker said.
