The Braves will add bullpen depth when rosters expand Saturday, but their best sidelined reliever won’t be part of the first wave.
Arodys Vizcaino, formerly the team’s closer, is set to pitch an inning for Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday. He’ll be joined by fellow rehabbing reliever Jose Ramirez, who hasn’t pitched since mid-April.
Vizcaino hasn’t pitched since July 11 because of shoulder inflammation that required two stints on the disabled list. He began throwing a couple of weeks ago, and the team was optimistic they would get him back sometime in September.
A healthy Vizcaino would solidify the back end of the bullpen. He had a 1.65 ERA with 34 strikeouts and a career-high 15 saves in his 32-2/3 innings of work. A.J. Minter has since taken over as closer, but the Braves could slowly work Vizcaino back into the later innings, hoping he joins Brad Brach as a bridge to Minter in the season’s final stretch and perhaps in the playoffs.
Ramirez has made only seven appearances in 2018. On April 18, he went on the 10-day DL with shoulder inflammation. Ramirez was rehabbing in Florida when he experienced a setback in early June – defined as an impingement in his throwing shoulder – that shut him down.
The past two seasons, Ramirez was among the bullpen’s more reliable arms. He owned a 3.19 ERA with 56 strikeouts across 62 innings (68 appearances) last season. After allowing three runs over his first two appearances this season, he pitched three scoreless outings before the disaster in Chicago.
On April 14, several Braves relievers endured frigid conditions that resulted in a nine-run Cubs’ eighth, helping them overcome a 10-2 deficit and defeat the Braves 14-10.
Ramirez suffered the brunt of that misery, being charged for five earned runs with two hits and two walks in just one-third of an inning. He allowed four runs on three hits, also walking three, in his ensuing outing against the Phillies.
It remains unlikely that Ramirez will contribute this season, but it’s a testament to his recovery that he has re-joined the discussion.
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