Braves left-hander Luiz Gohara is back in the big leagues, but the big rookie is not starting. He’s relieving, and Gohara says he’s excited about it.
He was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday and will pitch out of the bullpen for the time being, rather than the starting role he’s had throughout his professional career.
“It’s my first time in the league coming out of the bullpen,” said Gohara, 21, who joined the Braves before Tuesday night’s opener of a two-game series against the Rays at Tropicana Field.
“That’s exciting for me, coming out of the bullpen, helping the team out of the bullpen. Making my debut last year as a starter, and this year turning around as a bullpen guy, is really cool,” he said.
Truth be told, however, the Braves wouldn’t have made the move if Gohara hadn’t been injured twice during spring training. He was penciled in for a spot in the starting rotation after impressing during a five-start stint with the Braves in September.
But when he strained his groin in the first week of camp, then sprained his left ankle two days before what would’ve been his Grapefruit League debut, Gohara’s spring was basically shot and he’s not recovered from it yet.
In four minor league starts including three in Triple-A, he was 0-3 with a 6.89 ERA and allowed 22 hits and 18 runs (12 earned) with 10 walks and 15 strikeouts in 15-2/3 innings.
“He was very impressive when he came up (in September),” Braves manager Brian Snitker said Tuesday afternoon at Tropicana Field before facing the Rays. “It’s just a shame that he kind of got derailed at spring training with the ankle injury. But he’s still working his way back.
“I saw him today, he looks to be good shape compared to what he was this spring. So we’ll run him out there and see.”
The chunky Brazilian was scratched from his start Monday at Gwinnett after the Braves decided they’d make him the latest of their young starters to get some appearances out of the bullpen.
“I’ve been working really hard ... and I’ve been losing weight too,” said Gohara, who does appear to have lost weight since spring training. “I’m ready to go. I feel really good. Healthy and ready to compete.”
The Braves have a full rotation but have used a rotating cast of relievers to fill out the bullpen including young starters such as another highly regarded rookie lefty, Max Fried.
“We had talked about maybe trying to use some of these young starters (out of the bullpen),”Snitker said. “You never know. We saw how good he was last year and we’ll pitch him out of (the bullpen), maybe warm him up a few times, get his heart rate going. The stuff’s there, and who knows?”
But Snitker made it clear that Gohara, rated the No. 23 prospect in Baseball America’s preseason Top 100, is still projected to be a starter for the long term.
“We look at him as, he’s going to be a starter. We look at him long-term as a starter, not as a reliever,” Snitker said. “We’re not developing him as a reliever. We’re just, at this point in time he's a guy that can give us length (out of bullpen) if need be."
“Right now long term is for him to be a starter, and at some point in time I would be real surprised if we’re not having to send him back to get stretched out again or we want him to pitch more. We’ll just have to take that day by day as we see fit to use him here.”
Gohara joins the Braves in Florida for the start of a seven-game road trip that includes two games Tuesday and Wednesday at Tampa Bay, then four in Miami and a make-up game Monday in Chicago against the Cubs.
The Braves opened a roster spot by outrighting well-traveled reliever Luke Jackson to Gwinnett.
There had been reports that Gohara’s velocity was down in his starts at Triple-A.
“I don’t worry about the velo, it’s more about command and competing, getting guys out,” Gohara said. “Velo will come back after you’ve been working. Most important is I’ve got the command in there to make the pitches where I want. ...
“Everything’s back to 100 percent and I’ve ready to roll and start pitching again.”
After struggling in two of his three minor league rehab starts, Gohara was optioned to Gwinnett April 28 after his rehab stint expired. In his only start since that move, he was charged with eight hits, six earned runs and four walks in 4-1/3 innings Wednesday at Charlotte.
“I just keep bad things behind and just keep moving forward,” Gohara said. “I look to come up here again and help the team win games.”
The Braves rotation is currently full with Julio Teheran, Mike Foltynewicz, Brandon McCarthy, lefty Sean Newcomb and 20-year-old prospect Mike Soroka, who has made two starts including one terrific performance against the Mets in his debut last week.
The Braves also have veteran starter Anibal Sanchez, who was in the rotation before straining a hamstring and is currently on the 10-day DL and hasn’t begun a minor league rehab assignment.
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