Braves send three relief pitchers to minors

Chad Nicholas Sobotka was born July 10, 1993 in Sarasota, Fla. The Braves drafted Sobotka in the fourth round of the 2014 draft. Sobotka played college ball at South Carolina-Upstate. Sobotka made his major league debut Aug. 10, 2018 at SunTrust Park vs. Milwaukee. Sobotka pitched at Single-A, Double-A, Triple-A and the majors in 2018.

The Braves sent three relief pitchers to the minor leagues Thursday to make room on the 25-man roster for the trio of veteran relievers acquired this week.

The Braves optioned A.J. Minter, Chad Sobotka and Jeremy Walker to Triple-A Gwinnett.

That cleared spots on the big-league roster for Shane Greene, Chris Martin and Mark Melancon, the right-handed relievers acquired Tuesday and Wednesday. Also, the Braves announced Greene will wear No. 19, Melancon No. 36 and Martin No. 51.

>> MORE: Braves set roles for new relievers

Sobotka has a 5.54 ERA across 26 big-league innings this season and Minter a 7.24 ERA across 27-1/3 innings, both having struggled with control. Walker had appeared in three games since being promoted to the big leagues for the first time, allowing one hit (three walks) and no runs in three innings.