The Braves haven’t named a starter to replace the traded Lucas Harrell on Sunday, but Casey Kelly from Triple-A is a leading candidate and probably is the most likely option, barring a trade to acquire another starter.
Kelly pitched seven scoreless innings of four-hit ball Sunday against Buffalo and is scheduled to make his next start Saturday for Triple-A Gwinnett, but could be scratched from that start and recalled by the Braves. He’s posted a 2.42 ERA in four games for Gwinnett since his last stint with the big-league team.
Sunday’s Braves starter won’t be John Gant, who’s on the disabled list recovering from an oblique strain and make the first of three scheduled rehab starts Tuesday at Single-A Rome. Nor will it be Williams Perez, who is on the DL with a rotator-cuff strain and hasn’t been cleared yet to throw off a mound.
And it won’t be Aaron Blair, who has pitched well in his past couple of starts at Triple-A. He pitched Wednesday and would be on short rest if he started Sunday. The Braves wouldn’t do that, plus they want him to continue his progress at Triple-A and have a longer period of sustained good results there before they bring the rookie back to the big-league team.
Blair is 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA in his past two starts at Gwinnett, with 12 strikeouts and four walks in 13 innings. However, in his first previous starts after getting sent down to Gwinnett, he went 0-3 with a 7.94 ERA and .344 opponents’ batting average, allowing 33 hits and 13 walks in 22 2/3 innings.
Wisler was optioned to Gwinnett after giving up seven hits, seven runs (six earned) and three home runs in five innings of Thursday’s 7-5 loss to the Phillies. He was 2-6 with a 7.71 ERA, .328 opponents’ average and 16 home runs allowed in his last 10 starts, with 43 strikeouts and 19 walks in 53 2/3 innings.
Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said he talked with Wisler and told him he’s a big part of the team’s future plans.
“There’s a number of guys over the years – Julio (Teheran) went back (to Triple-A). We sent Mike Minor back a couple of times to learn to go strike 1 with his breaking ball, and stuff like that,” Snitker said. “There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s not the end of a career. Pitch your way back….
“He’s hit a rut. Sometimes you’ve got to take a step back to go forward. We’ll see him back here again. There’s no reason, with his stuff, he shouldn’t be a very successful starter in this league. His stuff’s just way too good to not be successful.”
