Darren O’Day is a wanted man in Braves Country. For over a year, fans have been wondering if this guy is even real. Well, he is, and he just tossed a scoreless inning for the GCL Braves in his first appearance with the organization.
Darren O’Day tossed a scoreless inning in his first rehab appearance with the GCL #Braves today with a pair of strikeouts. Snit said a few days ago they’re hopeful he can join the bullpen at some point in September. Hasn’t appeared in a Big League game since 6/26/18. @680TheFan
— Kevin McAlpin (@KevinMcAlpin) August 23, 2019
For basically his entire career, O’Day has been one of the most feared relievers in baseball. He posted a ridiculous 1.92 ERA over four seasons (2012-2015) for the Orioles in 263 total innings. His career ERA is 2.66. Now, it’s far-fetched to expect him to put up those type of results at 36 years old after over a year off from baseball, but he can become another weapon out of the Braves pen that is starting to look stronger by the day.
Atlanta has encountered a slew of injuries since the All-Star break. It’s been nothing but bad news after bad news. However, the tide appears to be changing as of late. Dansby Swanson thrived in his rehab assignment last night; Austin Riley is expected to join Swanson in Rome today to begin his rehab work, and Darren O’Day is alive after all. If the Braves can get healthy, they are going to be a force to be reckoned with in October.