The Braves have the most pitching prospects of any organization, unfortunately none are quite ready to plug one of the holes in an injury-depleted rotation right now.
Only Julio Teheran, Bud Norris and Matt Wisler have avoided injury in recent weeks. The trio is a combined 9-21 on the season, with Wisler and Norris holding an identical 4.22 ERA.
Teheran has been dominant, but he’s had the worst run support in the majors and can’t carry the rotation alone. He has a 2.46 ERA and is second behind the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw with a 0.89 WHIP (walks + hits over innings pitched).
The starting rotation got weaker on Monday when pitcher John Gant went on the 15-day disabled list. He suffered a left oblique strain in the third inning against the Indians.
“I hate it for him as he was throwing good,” Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said. “It is such a touchy thing that it is going to be awhile before he can actually get out there.”
Gant, who is 1-2 with a 4.45 ERA, was pitching well. As a starter, he has had some great performances—most recently against the New York Mets on June 17.
In that game, he went 6 2/3 innings and allowed one run. He also struck out five batters with the mix of his fastball and breaking pitches.
Gant becomes the third starter to be shelved as he joined fellow pitchers Mike Foltynewicz (bone spurs in elbow) and Williams Perez (rotator cuff strain).
Now with limited arms, the Braves don’t have many options.
They have two games this week where the starter was still undetermined as of Tueday afternoon. Snitker said they could piece together a start by stretching out reliever Tyrell Jenkins, who had been a Triple-A Gwinnett starter until moving to the bullpen last month, a move that hastened his promotion to the majors.
Jenkins pitched four innings on Monday and allowed four runs in relief of John Gant.
“It is always an option especially with what Tyrell (Jenkins) went through yesterday,” he said. “He needs a couple days off but that is something we have been talking about also.”
One possible option is to activate Foltynewicz from the disabled list. He is scheduled to make one more rehab start at Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday, but the Braves could instead have him return to the major league rotation sooner than expected.
The tentative plan was to have him return when the team plays on the road for two starts before the All-Star break.
Foltynewicz says he feels good after a recent bullpen session and is waiting to get the official word.
“It’s coming along really well and I don’t feel that much pain anymore after my normal day-to-day routines,” he said. “I feel good about it and all the doctors said it is no structural damage in there. That puts me at ease of mind and I am going out to get ready to pitch.”
One player not returning is rookie pitcher Aaron Blair. Snitker has said that rookie is not in the team’s plan to fill a rotation spot again so soon.
Blair is 0-5 with a 7.99 ERA in 11 starts. He has struggled with keeping the ball in the ballpark, allowing eight home runs and losing confidence in his secondary pitches.
The Braves want him to regain his form, so they plan to get him more starts in Triple-A before placing back into the rotation.
“I think we need to stay with that,” he said. “I think last time he pitched three innings. I think he needs some starts down there and we need to think about him than our needs in that situation.”
The next few games should help identify the Braves plan.
“We are kind of in that day-to-day mode thing again that we tried to stay away from a while there,” Snitker said. “It is one of those things that you go through and we will handle it.”
