Braves reliever A.J. Minter underwent hip surgery on Wednesday that will terminate his season, the team reported. Minter will have surgery, manager Brian Snitker announced last week, without saying if it will be a season-ending procedure. When Atlanta placed Minter on the 60-day disabled list concurrently with signing Gio Urshela, it appeared to be the case. With Wednesday’s announcement, the southpaw’s chances of playing again in the postseason are officially over.
Minter finishes the season with a 2.62 ERA in 34 1/3 innings pitched. Against an 8.2% walk rate, he fanned an above-average 26.1% of opponents. While still rather good, the strikeout and walk rates are a little bit lower than what he had recorded in 2022–2023]. In each of the previous two seasons, Minter struck out over 30% of his opponents and went above 60 innings.
Minter has been experiencing hip pain for a few months. Due to inflammation, he was first put on IL in late May. His recuperation from the injury turned out to be comparatively brief, requiring the year-ending procedure. That may be the last time he works in Atlanta. In the next offseason, the former second-round pick will become a free agent. Though it’s not as certain as it had appeared early in the season, he still has a chance to sign a multi-year contract.
Minter was replaced in the bullpen by Dylan Lee. Grant Holmes, who returned to the bullpen this week, has joined him in the relief group. The Braves activated Reynaldo López off the injured list, and Snitker said prior to Tuesday’s game that Holmes would be relieved (X link via David O’Brien of the Athletic). From the end of July until the middle of this month, the 28-year-old rookie has made four starts. With an amazing 28% strikeout percentage in 21 2/3 innings, he pitched to a 4.57 ERA.
Holmes can’t possibly stay in the rotation unless the Braves decide to switch to a six-man staff. Charlie Morton, Max Fried, López, Spencer Schwellenbach, and Chris Sale are all guaranteed a spot. Since Holmes was a prospect in the Oakland farm system, he had used up all of his minor league options. He must clear waivers before the Braves can move him to Triple-A. The Braves will use Holmes as a multi-inning reliever since he has pitched effectively enough this season to almost certainly be claimed. Holmes has a 3.45 ERA over 47 innings this season after tossing two scoreless innings against Philadelphia on Tuesday.
That leaves minimal room for roster manoeuvres of any kind. Only Lee, out of the eight MLB relievers for Atlanta, has remaining options. Since he’s pitching so effectively, the team doesn’t need to think about sending Schwellenbach down, but he is the only starter they have that option. The Braves may eventually have to decide whether to keep carrying both Luke Jackson and Jesse Chavez in the middle innings due to the 13-pitcher limit.
Atlanta’s season has unfortunately revolved around injuries. Austin Riley’s hand fracture this week, which will keep him out of commission for more than a month, is another example of it. Urshela is the Braves’ short-term third base solution, but they appear to be thinking about a backup plan among the minor league ranks. At Triple-A Gwinnett, Atlanta is playing Yuli Gurriel at third base, as Francys Romero reported (on X) earlier this week. Prior to Riley’s injury, he was the only first or second base player for the Stripers; he has started the last two games at the hot corner.
In April, Gurriel committed to a minor league contract with Atlanta. With 12 home runs, a solid strikeout and walk rate, and a.297/.378/.493 season, he’s enjoying a fantastic season with Gwinnett. Despite significantly below-average seasons with the Astros and Marlins in 2022–2023—he has yet to return to the major leagues. Since 2019, the 40-year-old infielder has not begun an MLB game at third base; instead, he has played first base nearly exclusively in recent years.
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