A few days ago, Huascar Ynoa was called back up to the major-league squad, which got me thinking about how things are going for him down in the minors. Unfortunately, it’s been a year to forget for the 24-year-old Dominican.
After beginning the season in Atlanta, Huascar Ynoa was quickly sent down to Gwinnett after making just two starts and giving up ten earned runs over 6.2 innings. The hope was that he would work out the kinks and quickly be back with the major-league squad, but things have been equally as abysmal in Gwinnett, and last night was the cherry on top of what has been a disaster of a season.
Huascar Ynoa had a bad night for Gwinnett, it’s not optimal if the home runs allowed is greater that the number of batters retired.
0.2 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 3 HR
— Matt Chrietzberg (@BravesMattC) August 12, 2022
That outing brought Ynoa’s ERA on the season to an unsightly 5.94, and it’s now fair to wonder where he fits into the Braves’ plans going forward.
Ynoa could transition to a relief role. He has the high-powered arm to do so, but in limited opportunities coming out of the bullpen, he hasn’t exactly thrived. On top of that, the Braves relief core is pretty stacked now and moving forward. Huascar Ynoa would have to really impress as a reliever to get an opportunity with Atlanta’s bullpen.
At 24, it’s probably a little too early to give up on such a high-powered arm, but I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility for the Braves to cut bait with Ynoa before long. We saw them do it with Touki Toussaint, and there’s currently a logjam of pitchers between AAA and the majors. Ynoa’s already become an afterthought, and it may take a change of scenery for him to find the magic he had to begin last season.
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