The Braves are trying to achieve a perfect balance between contending and still developing their youth. Luiz Gohara, one of their top pitching prospects, might be the best example.
Gohara, 21, has drawn the short stick in a season in which plenty of Braves have received some good luck.
He missed spring training with groin and ankle injuries, pushing him a month behind his teammates. Gohara didn’t rejoin the club until late April, and he’s made one start since.
Gohara made his third appearance in June on Friday night, allowing two runs in two innings in a loss to the Padres. He’s been relegated to mop-up duty, which likely isn’t the best scenario for him or the club.
There isn’t a clear resolution in sight. The Braves have a rotation crunch that will probably force a starter into the bullpen. An injury appears to be Gohara’s only path to the rotation in the immediate future.
As a long reliever, he has allowed a run in each of his past four appearances and has surrendered nine earned runs over his past three outings.
Gohara was hit for six runs against the Padres in his first appearance since rejoining the club after an 11-day stint on the bereavement list, when he was visiting his recovering mother in Brazil.
“He’ll factor into what we do going forward and the health of those guys,” manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s not pitching regularly. He needs to. There’s a balance between that and our need here, too. That’s something going forward that we need to look at also: what’s best for him and us.”
The Braves know that what’s best for Gohara isn’t clean-up duty once a week. He’s a starter long-term, and the likelihood that he soon will be sent to Triple-A Gwinnett to build a routine appears to be growing.
“I’m not looking at results for him as much as I am stuff,” Snitker said. “I don’t think his arm is where it was last year. Just because he hasn’t had the workload. It’s not anybody’s fault. It’s just been a weird beginning first half of the season for him.
“We saw at the end of the year last year what the guy is capable of. Then there have just been so many interruptions, it’s been hard to get him regular work, and the work it’s going to take to get him back optimal.”
