Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino was activated from the 10-day disabled list Tuesday, and manager Brian Snitker said if the Braves had a lead in the ninth inning Tuesday night against the Yankees, “he’s going to be out there.”
However, Snitker also said he would be a bit more cautious in the second half of the season and try to assure that Vizcaino stays off the DL and ready to pitch the rest of the way.
That means not overusing him, something that should be easier to manage now that relievers A.J. Minter and Dan Winkler have shown they’re ready for save opportunities if called upon.
Vizcaino converted 15 of 17 save opportunities before going on the disabled list for shoulder inflammation. He had a 1.82 ERA and .204 opponents’ average in 30 appearances before Tuesday, with 33 strikeouts, 12 walks and two homers allowed in 29-2/3 innings.
After giving up three runs and four hits over consecutive appearances May 13-15, he converted all eight save opportunities in a span of 10 scoreless appearances before he was placed on the DL on June 24. He pitched four times in a five-day span June 13-17, converting four saves, before the shoulder issue flared after the last of those appearances.
The Braves gave him a few days of rest in hopes of avoiding a DL stint, to no avail. After taking about a week to rest, Vizcaino said he had no problems in two bullpen side sessions when he tested the shoulder in the past week.
“I don’t foresee us doing that here in the near future,” Snitker said of the heavy usage just before Vizcaino’s DL stint. “I think if we get him back, the good thing is if he (pitches) back-to-back we can give him a day (off). I think we’re going to have to be careful about really pushing him a lot, because we need him to be a part of that bullpen for the next three months.”
Minter collected his fourth save in as many opportunities Monday when the rookie left-hander pitched the 11th inning of a 5-3 win at Yankee Stadium, retiring three of four batters faced, including two strikeouts. After walking slugger Aaron Judge with two out, Minter struck out Didi Gregorius to finish off the Yankees.
“It’s good because (Vizcaino) can’t do it every day, and I feel like we’ve got three now,” Snitker said. “Because Winkler, after experiencing that this past week is a guy you could go to also. We’ll just see how it plays out, but right now Viz is going to be the closer.
“But he can’t do it every day, so it’s good to have other options down there too.”
Winkler blew a pair of save chances on the recent homestand before converting a save Friday at St. Louis in the first game of the current trip. He has a 2.34 ERA, .184 opponents’ average and 15 holds in 37 appearances, with an impressive ratio of 44 strikeouts and 10 walks in 34-2/3 innings.
Four of nine earned runs charged to Winkler this season came June 22 against the Orioles when he recorded just one out and got a blown save. He has a 1.31 ERA in his other 36 appearances.
