Eight days after signing Ervin Santana, the Braves will start him against the Mets on Thursday in his Grapefruit League debut, a 1:05 p.m. game to be shown live on MLB Network.
The Braves signed the former All-Star to a one-year, $14.1 million free-agent contract after elbow injuries felled Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy. Medlen had season-ending Tommy John surgery Tuesday, and Beachy was to decide whether to have surgery after getting another opinion this week from a specialist in Los Angeles.
Santana, 31, was 9-10 with a 3.24 ERA and 161 strikeouts in 211 innings last season for the Royals and tied for fourth in the American League with 23 quality starts. He declined their $14.1 million qualifying offer, didn’t get multiyear offers he expected and was the best pitcher without a team when spring training began.
Since Santana hadn’t faced hitters this spring, the Braves had him throw batting practice a couple of times before penciling him in for his first Grapefruit League game. He’s scheduled to pitch two innings, like other Braves starters in their spring debuts.
The plan is for him to pitch Grapefruit League and minor league games to build arm strength and join the Braves rotation on or before April 12, the first time they’ll need a fifth starter. The Braves want to make sure not to rush Santana.
Because of off days in schedule, the Braves can get by with four starters for the first 10 games. They’ll go with Julio Teheran, second-year left-hander Alex Wood, 37-year-old Freddy Garcia and rookie David Hale to begin the season, with Santana, incumbent lefty Mike Minor and veteran Gavin Floyd waiting in the wings.
Minor fell behind when he couldn’t work out or throw in January following urinary-tract surgery Dec. 31, then developed shoulder soreness in the first week of camp. Floyd is in the final stages of his rehab from Tommy John surgery.
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said Minor and Floyd would throw more batting-practice sessions before both likely would pitch in minor league games in Florida at the end of the month, a day or two after the Braves break camp and head north.
Minor tentatively is scheduled to join the Braves’ rotation in late April and Floyd in early May.
“It gives you a nice comfort (knowing) it’s going to get better,” Gonzalez said. “All of a sudden, a month into it you’ve got a nice little rotation.”
Gattis (quad strain) scratched: The good news was that Evan Gattis' sore right quadriceps wasn't strained near his surgically repaired knee, and the Braves catcher said he could've played if it had been a regular-season contest.
He was scratched from the lineup Wednesday against the Yankees with a mild right quad strain. He said it was at the top of the muscle, pointing to a spot near the hip. He strained it Monday against the Astros.
“I noticed it (while) scoring from first on Dan (Uggla’s)’s triple,” he said. “Grabbed me a little bit. I did run out a double after that, so I don’t think it’s too bad.”
Gattis had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in October to remove a bone chip. Gonzalez was careful not to push him too much in the first month of spring training and didn’t use him at catcher in consecutive games until last week.
Hale gets loss: Hale gave up five hits, three runs and three walks with two strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings of Wednesday's 7-0 loss to the Yankees. He retired nine consecutive batters before the fourth inning, when he allowed a two-out single, a walk and a two-run double by Adonis Garcia for a 3-0 lead.
“I’ve got to stop walking people, absolutely,” said Hale, who has a 5.11 ERA in four starts and has allowed 14 hits and five walks in 12 1/3 innings. “But I know what I was doing” and can make an adjustment, he said.
