The Braves brought up pitchers Rob Whalen and Brandon Cunniff from Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday and sent reliever Ryan Weber and utility infielder Daniel Castro back to Gwinnett.
Whalen, 22, was brought up to start Wednesday night’s game against the Pirates in the right-hander’s major league debut, and Cunniff joins the major league bullpen for the first time since making 39 appearances for Atlanta last season.
Whalen was 7-6 with a 2.40 ERA in 21 starts this season in Double-A and Triple-A, including a 1.93 ERA in three starts since being promoted to Gwinnett. The Braves got him from the Mets along with pitcher John Gant in a July 2015 trade for veteran infielders Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson.
Gant pitched well Tuesday in his first injury-rehab start and is expected to rejoin the Braves rotation after two more minor league starts.
For now, the Braves continue to piece together the rotation after trading away veteran Lucas Harrell last week, sending down struggling Matt Wisler and placing All-Star Julio Teheran on the disabled list Tuesday with a latissimus dorsi muscle strain in the right side of his back.
Whalen is the 13th different starting pitcher used by the Braves this season, tied with San Diego for second-most in the majors behind Cincinnati (14). There is still nearly one-third of the season remaining and already the Braves have used their most starters since the 1987 team also deployed 13. The Atlanta record is 15 in 1975.
Cunniff had a 3.83 ERA in 38 appearances in Double-A and Triple-A this season, and had 11 strikeouts in 8 1/3 consecutive scoreless innings at Gwinnett before being called up by the big-league team.
“Brandon has kind of worked his way back into the swing of things, throwing the ball really good,” said Braves interim manager Brian Snitker, who was Gwinnett manager early this season when Cunniff began the season in Triple-A.
After struggling early at Gwinnett and being sent to Double-A Mississippi, Cunniff got it together, posting a 0.71 ERA in 12 appearances in Double-A, with 10 strikeouts and one walk in 12 2/3 innings, then returned to Gwinnett and didn’t give up any runs in 10 of his past 11 appearances.
