With the final roster moves coming this weekend, the Braves appear to be one move from setting the 12-man pitching staff. Here’s a look at the news of the week involving mound decisions:
If Matt Wisler has a consistent slider like the one he showed Tuesday night against the Orioles, the Braves’ young right-hander could be poised for big things in his first full major league season.
Braves starting pitching ranked worst in majors
The Braves likely will need big things from Wisler. Before spring training the advanced statistics website FanGraphs predicted the Braves would win 67 games, same as last season (which was their fewest since 1990). Now that camp is winding down and rosters are taking shape, the Depth Charts projections updated on Wednesday have the Braves winning 68 games.
The main weakness for the Braves, as FanGraphs sees it, is the starting pitching.
Braves option Foltynewicz to Gwinnett
When the Braves optioned Mike Foltynewicz to Triple-A Gwinnett Wednesday, it left three pitchers competing for the last two spots in the starting rotation: Jhoulys Chacin, Williams Perez and prospect John Gant, one of the pleasant surprises of spring training.
Gonzalez praises Teheran, relievers
Julio Teheran faced the Yankees on Wednesday and looked sharp and ready for his Braves opening-day start next week.
Teheran will face the Nationals in the regular-season opener Monday at Turner Field, which will be his third consecutive opening-day start.
As for the bullpen …
Winkler making strong bid for bullpen spot
It’s been about 20 months since Dan Winkler had elbow surgery, and the Braves have finally begun to push him to find out if he’s ready for the rigors of regular bullpen work.
So far the right-hander has passed the tests, important because the Braves have to make a decision: Keep Winkler on the major league roster for at least the first two months of the season or offer him back to the Rockies for $25,000, half of the claiming price the Braves paid when they took him from the Rockies in the Rule 5 draft in December 2014, when he was six months into elbow-surgery rehab.
Kinman emerges as lefty candidate
The Braves’ search for a second left-handed reliever has them looking outside and within the organization, and Kyle Kinman is the latest and perhaps most improbable candidate to emerge.
Carlos Torres opts out, becomes free agent
Carlos Torres opted out of his Braves minor-league contract and became a free agent Thursday, the latest of the assorted relief-pitching castoffs, non-roster invitees and prospects to exit as spring training grinds toward a conclusion.
Banuelos has more soreness in troublesome elbow
After surgery in September to remove bone chips that had formed since his Tommy John elbow surgery three years earlier, Manny Banuelos planned to compete for a spot in the starting rotation this spring. The Braves certainly could use a lefty in an otherwise all-right-handed rotation.
But despite the Braves being careful not to push him early in camp, Banuelos has been stalled again by elbow soreness, which flared after his last outing March 22.
