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Ian Anderson To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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11:02am: Anderson will indeed undergo Tommy John surgery, Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN report (via Twitter). He’ll miss the remainder of the 2023 season.

Because Anderson was diagnosed with the injury after being optioned and making a start with Gwinnett, he’ll presumably head to the minor league injured list for now. However, if the Braves need to open a 40-man roster spot at any point, he can be recalled from Gwinnett and placed on the Major League 60-day IL.

That move, however, would entitle Anderson to big league service time. He started the year with two years and 46 days of MLB service, so if he spends 126 days or more on the MLB injured list, he’ll surpass three years of Major League service time, pushing up his path to free agency. If he spends fewer than 126 days on the big league injured list, he’d remain under club control for an additional four seasons.

10:56am: The Braves placed Ian Anderson on the minor league injured list due to an elbow issue last week, and while the team hasn’t formally announced a diagnosis or treatment plan, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets that Tommy John surgery is a possibility for the right-hander. That’d of course point to a ligament issue for Anderson, though the extent and placement of any damage would impact the eventual course of treatment.

Regardless of the outcome, if surgery is indeed a consideration, that’s indicative of an absence of note for Anderson, a former No. 3 overall pick (2016) and Rookie of the Year candidate who has fallen out of Atlanta’s rotation picture in the wake of some 2022 struggles. Anderson, still just 24 years old, broke out with a combined 3.25 ERA in 160 2/3 innings between the 2020-21 seasons, grabbing hold of a rotation spot in Atlanta and staking a claim to a long-term place on the starting staff.

The 2022 season, however, marked a step back in just about every facet of Anderson’s game. The righty was tagged for an unsightly 5.00 ERA in 111 2/3 innings as his fastball velocity, strikeout rate, walk rate, ground-ball rate, exit velocity and hard-hit rate all trended in unfavorable directions. Anderson was also tagged for 13 earned runs in 21 2/3 Triple-A innings last season, and he followed a rocky 2023 spring training (five earned runs on five hits and eight walks in 7 1/3 innings) with a disastrous first outing with Triple-A Gwinnett. In his lone appearance of the 2023 season there, Anderson faced nine batters and yielded three home runs and two walks while also being charged with a pair of wild pitches.

If Anderson indeed needs surgery — be Tommy John surgery, an internal brace or any other type of elbow procedure — that’ll provide the Braves with a notable blow to their rotation depth. Atlanta has been without Kyle Wright thus far, though he’s slated to make his season debut today. Ace Max Fried is currently on the injured list owing to a hamstring strain. Charlie Morton and Spencer Strider have two starting spots spoken for, and Bryce Elder has delivered a pair of strong outings as well. Rookie southpaws Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd have both been hit hard in their MLB debuts (two starts apiece).

As things stand, the Braves can hope for a swift return from Fried, which would set the stage for a rotation of him, Strider, Wright, Morton and Elder, with Shuster and Dodd continuing to develop in Gwinnett. Oft-injured righty Michael Soroka is also hoping for a big league return and is in the Gwinnett rotation, but he’s building up his pitch count presently and threw just 38 innings between the minors and big leagues combined from 2020-22. Soroka is on the mound this morning and has already tossed two innings for Gwinnett as of this writing, but it remains to be seen when he’ll be considered for the Major League staff.

MLBTR Poll: Braves’ Fifth Starter

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The Braves have opened their 2023 season facing a great deal of uncertainty in the rotation. The club went into camp with a battle for the fifth spot in the rotation, expecting Bryce Elder, Ian Anderson, and Michael Soroka to be the favorites for the role. That didn’t come to pass, however, as Soroka was slowed early in camp while both Anderson and Elder struggled, opening the door for Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd to elevate themselves on the organizational depth chart with strong springs. MLBTR held a poll toward the end of Spring Training regarding which of the two young lefties should start the regular season in the rotation, which Shuster won with 68.56% of the vote.

Ultimately, the Braves were never forced to make a decision between Dodd and Shuster for the fifth spot, as Kyle Wright began the season on the injured list, allowing both lefties to open the season in the rotation. Since that time, the rotation picture in Atlanta has gotten far more hectic. Club ace Max Fried went on the injured list with a hamstring injury, while Anderson went on the IL in the minors due to elbow issues, leaving Elder to join the rotation in Fried’s stead. Meanwhile, both Shuster and Dodd have struggled to open the season.

With Wright expected to make his first start of the season on Tuesday and Fried expected to miss roughly the fifteen day minimum, the Braves find themselves once again forced to make a decision on who their fifth starter should be once the front four of Fried, Wright, Spencer Strider, and Charlie Morton are all healthy and starting every fifth day. With Soroka still not fully ramped up, it appears the options for the club’s fifth rotation spot are Dodd, Shuster, and Elder, each of whom have made at least one start for the club this season.

Shuster appears to be the least likely of the three options. The 24-year old lefty has made two starts for Atlanta so far this season, but has struggled in both. In his major league debut, Shuster allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings against the Nationals, allowing six hits and 5 walks while striking out just one. His second start was worryingly similar to his first, albeit against a much more threatening Padres team than the lowly Nats: four runs in four innings of work on six hits with four walks and four strikeouts.

While Shuster impressed with a 1.74 ERA in 20 2/3 innings of work this spring, he’s appeared over-matched two starts into his big league career, and it seems safe to assume that the Braves will allow him time in Triple-A to right the ship before returning him to the big league rotation, barring further injuries to the big league club.

Dodd has a stronger case for a longer leash in the rotation than Shuster, having impressed in his MLB debut by holding a loaded Cardinals lineup to just one run over five innings of work, striking out three while walking none. Dodd’s first start of the season showed the same promise as his spring performance, where he posted a 2.00 ERA in 18 innings of work, striking out 20 while walking just four. Unfortunately, Dodd’s second start was not as successful as his first, as he struggled badly in 4 1/3 innings against the Padres, allowing seven runs on ten hits (two home runs) and a walk while striking out three.

After such a difficult second start, it’s reasonable to wonder if Dodd might also benefit from additional time in Triple-A before becoming a mainstay in the Braves’ rotation. After all, the 24-year old has made just one start in Triple-A, with only 53 innings of experience above High-A in the minor leagues.

That lack of experience seems likely to open the door for Elder as the most likely option to stick in Atlanta as a member of the rotation once Fried returns from the injured list. Though Elder struggled badly in Spring Training surrendering three home runs and five walks in just 11 2/3 innings of work, he dominated the Cardinals for six innings in his first start of the season on Wednesday, allowing no runs on two hits while striking out six over six innings of work. Though his spring problems with the free pass carried over into the regular season as he walked three in his season debut, Elder was able to find success in the big leagues last year in spite of a 10.1% walk rate, posting a 3.17 ERA in 54 innings of work last season.

With Fried set to miss at least another week of action, both Dodd and Elder figure to get at least one more start before the Braves make a decision, to say nothing of the possibility that an injury elsewhere in the rotation or a setback for Fried could delay the decision even further. Barring those outcomes, who should the Braves keep in the rotation going forward? Is Elder’s experience and past success in the big leagues too valuable to pass up, or should the Braves stick with their initial decision and give the fifth spot in the rotation to one of Dodd or Shuster?

(poll link for app users)

Who Should The Braves Keep In The Rotation Once Wright And Fried Return?
Bryce Elder 76.39% (2,961 votes)
Dylan Dodd 14.22% (551 votes)
Jared Shuster 9.39% (364 votes)
Total Votes: 3,876

NL East Notes: Braves, Mets, Phillies

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Braves manager Brian Snitker provided updates to reporters (including The Athletic’s David O’Brien) on outfielder Michael Harris II and right-hander Collin McHugh, both of whom went on the injured-list recently. Harris, who is struggling with back tightness, is steadily improving, though he wouldn’t be back in games yet even if he was on the active roster. Harris won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 2022 after slashing an excellent .297/.339/.514 in 114 games while playing excellent defense in center field, but was injured seven games into the season when he banged his back against the outfield wall making a catch against the Padres last week. The club has relied on Sam Hilliard in center while Harris is on the shelf.

Meanwhile, McHugh went on the injured list with shoulder inflammation on Thursday, but has resumed throwing and expects to be back with the Braves after a minimum 15-day stint on the IL. After a long stint as a swingman for the Astros, McHugh opted out of the shortened 2020 campaign before re-emerging as a dominant reliever for the Rays in 2021. His dominance continued in 2022 with the Braves as he posted a combined 2.09 ERA in 133 1/3 innings of work across those two seasons. When McHugh returns from the IL, he figures to key piece in the back of the Braves’ bullpen alongside A.J. Minter.

More from around the NL East…

  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Mets could explore the market for additional catching options following a Omar Narvaez’s recent injury. Top prospect Francisco Alvarez was called up to replace Narvaez on the roster, and the club has expressed confidence in his ability to fill in for the next two months while Narvaez is expected to be out. Nonetheless, Sherman notes that the club is keeping an eye out for upgrades over their current depth options at catcher, Michael Perez and Nick Meyer. Robinson Chirinos and Austin Romine are among the catchers currently unsigned on the free agent market, though the Mets could certainly also explore the trade market if they’re interested in adding catching depth.
  • Despite previous indications that Kody Clemens would take most of the reps at first base following Darick Hall’s thumb surgery, it would appear that the Phillies are now planning on shifting third baseman Alec Bohm over to first base in order to give utilityman Edmundo Sosa a run as the everyday third baseman. As noted by Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer, manager Rob Thomson seems interested in what Sosa can do with an everyday opportunity, telling reporters that “we’re going to see what he’s going to do against right-handed pitching.” Sosa got his first extended playing time with the Cardinals in 2021, posting a solid wRC+ of 104 while covering shortstop in addition to second base, third base, and even center field. He struggled mightily in 2022, however, posting just a 49 wRC+ in 53 games with St. Louis prior to being traded to Philadelphia, where he excelled down the stretch in 59 plate appearances that came primarily against southpaws.

Braves Place Travis D’Arnaud On Seven-Day Concussion IL

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TODAY: The Braves officially announced d’Arnaud’s IL placement.  Tromp was called up from Triple-A.

APRIL 8: Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud will go on the seven-day concussion IL, manager Brian Snitker told reporters including Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. D’Arnaud was involved in a collision at home plate during the Braves match with the Padres tonight. He was removed from the game.

D’Arnaud has made a hot start to the season, slashing .355/.355/.452 with eleven hits over 31 plate appearances. Despite a putting up his best campaign to date last year and earning a trip to the All Star game, there was some speculation that the Braves may move on from D’Arnaud after they acquired Sean Murphy from Oakland. The team opted to hang on to d’Arnaud and his $8MM salary, instead preferring to slip catching duties between the pair and rotate them through the DH spot. So far, d’Arnaud has made three appearances at catcher and four at designated hitter.

Presumably Murphy will now handle an even greater majority of the catching duties while d’Arnaud is sidelined. The team hasn’t announced who it’ll likely turn to as a back up for Murphy, but they have Joe Hudson and Chadwick Tromp at Triple-A.

Braves Select Danny Young, Designate Seth Elledge

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The Braves selected the contract of left-hander Danny Young from Triple-A, and designated right-hander Seth Elledge for assignment to open up a 40-man roster space.  A spot on the 26-man active roster was already open since Atlanta optioned Jared Shuster to Triple-A after yesterday’s game.

Young made his Major League debut last season as a member of the Mariners, and then came to Atlanta on a waiver claim in August.  All in all, Young’s first taste of big league action consisted of 6 1/3 total innings over three games (two with Seattle, one with Atlanta), and the Braves then DFA’ed and outrighted Young soon after they added him on waivers.  Originally an eighth-round draft pick for the Blue Jays in 2015, Young has a 3.78 ERA over 309 2/3 career innings in the minors, almost entirely as a relief pitcher.

It might be another cup of coffee for Young in the Show, since Kyle Wright is projected to be activated from the 15-day injured list for a start on Tuesday.  Since Wright and Max Fried are both on the IL, the Braves have turned to Shuster, Dylan Dodd, and Bryce Elder to make starts thus far in the season, with Shuster being optioned back and forth from Triple-A Gwinnett after each of his two starts.  As the Braves don’t need that fifth spot in the rotation until Wright returns, they’ll add Young to give the club more bullpen depth in the interim.

The Braves selected Elledge’s contract to the 40-man roster back in November, as the righty had the option to become a minor league free agent.  Elledge signed a minors deal with Atlanta in March 2022 and spent all of last season at Triple-A, delivering a 3.88 ERA and an impressive 33.7% strikeout rate over 46 1/3 innings.  His past MLB experience consists of 23 1/3 total innings with the Cardinals over the 2020-21 seasons.

Braves Place Michael Harris II On IL With Back Strain

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4:31pm: Snitker indicated the Braves aren’t concerned about the issue. Speaking with reporters this evening, the skipper implied Harris could be back after a minimal stint (via Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal Constitution). According to Snitker, the injury was expected to sideline the center fielder for four or five days and the club didn’t want to play a man short.

2:45pm: The Braves announced that outfielder Michael Harris II has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a lower back strain. Fellow outfielder Eli White was recalled in a corresponding move.

Harris, 22, departed last night’s game with back tightness. After the game, manager Brian Snitker told reporters, including Jeff Schultz of The Athletic, that Harris banged his back on the wall while making a catch. Snitker said that Harris was day-to-day but it seems that the injury may have been a bit more serious than initially thought, given that the club has now decided to give him a breather for at least 10 days.

At this point, it’s unclear how much time the club expect Harris to miss. Given that he was initially described as day-to-day, it would be reasonable to expect a minimum absence, though that’s just a guess. Whatever the timeframe, they will be proceeding without a player who proved last year to be exceptionally talented. He got called up from Double-A straight to the majors, skipping over Triple-A entirely. The jump didn’t seem to phase him, as he hit 19 home runs and stole 20 bases in 114 games. His .297/.339/.514 batting line amounted to a wRC+ of 136. He was also graded as an excellent defender in center, leading to a tally of 4.8 wins above replacement from FanGraphs and a Rookie of the Year award.

With Harris out of action today, the club has put Sam Hilliard in center. He has 88 previous career games at that position, with advanced defensive metrics grading him as slightly below average there. Now that White has been recalled to the roster, he could see some time there as well. He’s considered an excellent defender but hasn’t hit much in the big leagues yet, currently sporting a .185/.260/.296 career batting line. Kevin Pillar has plenty of experience in center but has been spending more time in the corners as he’s aged into his mid-30s.

Braves Place Collin McHugh On IL, Recall Jared Shuster

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The Braves announced that right-hander Collin McHugh has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation. Left-hander Jared Shuster has been recalled to take McHugh’s spot on the roster.

McHugh, 36 in June, is in the second year of a two-year, $10MM deal, though the club has a $6MM option for 2024 with a $1MM buyout. He served as a starter earlier in his career but he’s become an effective reliever in recent years, which continued in the first season of his current contract. With Atlanta last year, he tossed 69 1/3 innings over 58 appearances with a 2.60 ERA. He struck out 27.6% of batters faced while walking just 5.1% and getting grounders at a 39.9% clip.

It’s unclear how long he’s expected to be out of action but the club will have to get by without him for at least a couple of weeks. With closer Raisel Iglesias also on the IL due to shoulder inflammation and reportedly still not throwing, they will have to proceed without two of their best high-leverage relief options. That work is now likely to fall to pitchers like A.J. Minter and Joe Jiménez, at least for the time being.

If there’s one silver lining in McHugh going on the shelf, it’s that it helps the club deal with a gap in their rotation. The club went into the spring with four rotation spots filled by Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton and Kyle Wright, with the final spot up for grabs. Wright was delayed in spring and needed to start the season on the injured list, allowing both Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd to get starts in the early going. When Fried got hurt on Opening Day, they need another arm, calling up Bryce Elder for that job. Amid all that roster shuffling, Shuster got optioned to the minors, which normally requires a 15-day period before being recalled. However, an exception is made when a player goes on the IL, allowing Shuster to return to the active roster earlier. Wright is expected to be activated next week when first eligible, which could lead to one of Dodd, Shuster or Elder getting optioned.

Braves Notes: Iglesias, Anderson, Wright

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The Braves have been without closer Raisel Iglesias in the early going. The veteran reliever was sidelined during the final week of March with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. The club announced he’d be shut down for at least a week and he opened the season on the 15-day injured list.

It appears that stint will linger beyond the minimal two weeks. Manager Brian Snitker informed reporters on Monday that Iglesias has yet to resume throwing (link via Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal Constitution). The Braves have continued to evaluate the righty’s progress, though Snitker noted they won’t have any kind of recovery timetable in place until Iglesias is able to pick up a ball.

A.J. Minter and Jesse Chavez have each picked up a save this season. The latter’s was a one-out appearance during today’s 5-2 win over the Cardinals after Collin McHugh had thrown 27 pitches. The highest-leverage work in the season’s first week has fallen to Dylan Lee, McHugh and Chavez. Minter and righty Joe Jiménez also figure to be in the mix for important work as the year goes along. They’ll all be up a peg in the pecking order so long as Iglesias is on the shelf.

Injuries have also been a story on the rotation front. Atlanta placed Ian Anderson on the minor league injured list this morning. Toscano tweets that Anderson has a right elbow injury and is being evaluated.

There’s no word on the issue’s severity, though any problem with a pitcher’s throwing elbow raises some amount of concern. Anderson will miss at least the next week of action at Triple-A Gwinnett. It’s possible he’s sidelined beyond the minimal stay, which would further thin an Atlanta rotation that has faced some questions early in the season.

The Braves were already set to rely on a pair of pitchers who had never previously pitched in the majors as part of the season-opening rotation. Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd jumped Anderson and Bryce Elder on the depth chart in Spring Training. Ace Max Fried landed on the 15-day IL after straining his hamstring on Opening Day. The Braves recalled Elder, pushing Anderson into the #6 role on the depth chart before the elbow soreness.

Fortunately, Atlanta should soon welcome back Kyle Wright from an IL stint of his own. The righty was slowed in camp by a sore shoulder. He opened the season on the 15-day IL to buy him a bit more time to build strength. He made a rehab start for Gwinnett this evening. The bottom line results weren’t great — he allowed five runs in a 6-3 loss — but Wright worked six innings and tossed 84 pitches. That indicates he’s mostly stretched out and figures to make his next start at the MLB level. He’s first eligible to return on April 11, which would be a home start against Cincinnati.

Blue Jays Claim Jordan Luplow From Braves

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The Blue Jays announced that they have claimed outfielder Jordan Luplow off waivers from the Braves and optioned him to Triple-A. Luplow had been designated for assignment by Atlanta earlier this week when that club selected rookie pitcher Dylan Dodd. In a corresponding move, the Jays transferred lefty Hyun Jin Ryu to the 60-day injured list.

Luplow, 29, has appeared in the past six major league seasons, suiting up for Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Tampa Bay and Arizona. He’s largely taken on part-time duties, as his 85 games and 261 plate appearances in 2019 are both career highs. The right-handed hitter is generally viewed as a short-side platoon option, often putting up good numbers against lefties. His career batting line against southpaws is .226/.337/.505 for a wRC+ of 125, compared to a .200/.288/.355 line and 76 wRC+ against righties.

Last year, Luplow didn’t hit well against pitchers from either side, slashing .176/.274/.361 for the Diamondbacks. They could have retained him via arbitration, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting a $2MM salary, though the D’Backs opted to cut him from the roster at the end of the season instead. Atlanta picked him by signing him to a slightly lower price point of $1.4MM, but he didn’t make the club’s Opening Day roster. They had picked up a few other candidates for part-time outfield roles, such as Sam Hilliard, Kevin Pillar and Eli White. That nudged Luplow to the minors to start the season and off the 40-man shortly thereafter.

For the Jays, they previously had a righty-heavy outfield but tipped the scales the other way this offseason. Righties Teoscar Hernández and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. were both traded away while lefties Daulton Varsho and Kevin Kiermaier were brought aboard and Nathan Lukes won the bench outfield job out of camp. Luplow will head to Triple-A Buffalo for now but he could potentially be recalled at some point to play matchups and take some at-bats against tough lefties.

He currently has between four and five years of MLB service time, meaning the Jays could retain him for next season via arbitration if he lasts the whole year on the roster. He has just one option year remaining, however, meaning he will likely be out of options next year. Once he spends 20 days in the minors, then 2023 will officially burn his last option year.

As for Ryu, this transfer comes as no surprise as he’s recovering from Tommy John surgery and is targeting a return around the All-Star break. This move was an inevitable formality, with the Jays waiting until they found a player they liked on the waiver wire to make it.

Braves Recall Bryce Elder, Place Max Fried On IL

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The Braves announced today that right-hander Bryce Elder has been recalled while left-hander Max Fried has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a strained left hamstring. Fried’s move is backdated to April 1.

Coming into the spring, Atlanta’s planned rotation has four spots taken by Fried, Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton and Kyle Wright. The final spot was left open for a spring battle, with the frontrunners considered to be Michael Soroka, Ian Anderson and Elder. Soroka got hurt in the spring while the other two hurlers struggled. Elder tossed 11 2/3 innings over three starts with a 6.17 ERA, striking out nine opponents while allowing five walks and 11 hits, including three home runs. Both he and Anderson were optioned in the middle of March, with rookies Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd out-pitching them and jumping them on the depth chart.

Wright also dealt with an injury in camp and eventually landed on the injured list to start the year, allowing both Shuster and Dodd to get big league opportunities alongside Fried, Strider and Morton. Fried then had to depart his Opening Day start with this hamstring issue, with manager Brian Snitker recently confirming that Fried would indeed be placed on the injured list, which is now official. It doesn’t sound like the club is expecting a significant absence, but he’ll miss at least a couple of weeks to rest up.

Shuster’s first start didn’t go especially well, as he allowed four runs in the first inning against the Nationals on Sunday. He eventually settled down and got through 4 2/3 innings but was optioned yesterday when Dodd was added to the roster.

It had been reported recently that Elder and Anderson were in contention to rejoin the rotation in Fried’s absence and Elder will get at least the first nod. Though he had a rough spring, he had an encouraging debut last year, posting a 3.17 ERA over 54 innings. His strikeout and walk rates were each a bit below average but he got ground balls at a healthy 49.3% clip.

With Wright and Fried on the IL and Shuster optioned, the club’s rotation currently consists of Strider, Morton, Dodd and Elder. The club’s next off-day isn’t until April 13, over a week away, so they will likely need to make another rotation move in the coming days or else have a bullpen day. Anderson started in Triple-A on Sunday but didn’t make it out of the first inning, allowing six runs, four earned. He tossed 37 pitches while walking two and allowing four hits, including three home runs. Soroka recently spoke about how the plan for him is to start for Gwinnett tonight but said he’ll likely be limited to three or four innings while continuing to build up from his interrupted spring. Shuster was just optioned yesterday and can’t be recalled for 15 days from that point unless another player is placed on the injured list. Wright’s 15-day IL placement was retroactive to March 27, meaning he can’t return until April 11 at the earliest.

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