On Wednesday, a move we expected to happen occurred when the Braves put Ender Inciarte on the Injured List with a back injury. It’s unclear how long he will be out, but it will be at least ten days. As has been talked about all day, Austin Riley will be brought up to make his MLB debut in Inciarte’s place. He will man left field while Acuña moves to center. It will be an opportunity for the youngster to prove he can be an everyday player in the lineup going forward.
In a lesser anticipated move, the Braves finally chose to cut the cord with Jesse Biddle. The southpaw from Philadelphia never could quite put it together this season since losing his confidence in mid-April. Biddle’s allowed nine runs in his last three innings pitched and has been known to hand out free passes like candy. There’s potential in his arm; which is why the Braves have stuck with him for so long. But to come back after some time off and look that poorly, the organization didn’t have a choice. With Biddle out of options, they were forced to designate him for assignment.
In his place, Touki Toussaint is back up with the major league club. He could be used as a relief arm for now, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see Mike Foltynewicz heading back to AAA soon. Either Sean Newcomb or Toussaint could replace him in the rotation.