The enigmatic Sean Newcomb is Atlanta-bound.
Newcomb was scratched from his scheduled Wednesday start in Gwinnett. He’ll debut in one of the doubleheader games Saturday against the New York Mets at SunTrust Park.
Bartolo Colon was placed on the disabled list Tuesday, opening a rotation spot.
The strikeout-heavy Newcomb is theoretically a perfect pitcher for the homer-friendly SunTrust Park. He’s given up seven home runs across 197.2 innings in Mississippi and Gwinnett.
Newcomb has averaged 11.55 strikeouts per nine innings in 2017. Atlanta ranks last in the majors in that category.
Despite the high strikeout rate, Newcomb suffers from inconsistent command. His walk rate has sat between 12-16 percent in the minors. He’s walked 33 batters in 57.2 innings this season. He ranks second in the International League in strikeouts and walks, while surrendering the second fewest hits.
Newcomb was the headline prospect in the trade that sent Andrelton Simmons to the Los Angeles Angels in November 2015.
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