Kyle Wright is back on the IL, re-aggravating his throwing shoulder that he had been rehabbing all offseason. The timetable for his return is currently unknown, but I don’t think we will be seeing him on the mound when his 15 days on the IL are up. The Braves are going to take things extremely cautiously with him, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he is eventually moved to the 60-day IL after further evaluation.
The point being, the Braves need to find someone to fill his spot. They have some internal options. Dylan Dodd will get his shot against the Marlins. We also saw Jared Shuster earlier this season, but I’m fairly confident neither of them is ready to be permanent pieces to the rotation. Long-term, Michael Soroka feels like the best option of the three, but for several reasons, the Braves can’t put all of their eggs into that basket. Soroka hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2020, and to say he is injury prone would be an understatement.
So while the Braves have candidates to fill Wright’s spot in the rotation, none of them are sure things, which is why I expect them to scour the free agent market for some veteran arms that could contribute in a pinch. They might not be needed in Atlanta now, but if another injury arises, the Braves will want to have a backup plan in place.
Madison Bumgarner
Bumgarner is the biggest star on this list, but he might be the worst option. His ego doesn’t even come close to his production. I don’t love the fit in the clubhouse, and frankly, nothing he’s shown over the last few years suggests he has anything left in the tank. Bumgarner has been a mess over the last four seasons with the Diamondbacks. He hasn’t posted an ERA below 4.67, and his velocity has fallen off a cliff. Somebody will likely take a flier on Bumgarner before he retires, but I don’t think it will be the Braves.
Julio Teheran
How about an old friend? Julio Teheran just opted out of his minor-league deal with the Padres and is currently a free agent. His numbers in AAA this season aren’t great. He posted a 6.84 ERA and 1.720 WHIP, but he did record a 10.4 K/9 and is only 32-years-old. With Teheran, you know what you’re going to get. He’s not going to blow anybody away with his stuff, but he throws strikes and competes. I wouldn’t mind it at all if the Braves took a shot on him and signed him to a minor-league deal.
Chris Archer
Archer was once an All-Star pitcher for the Rays before they sold high on him, and he hasn’t been the same since. He’s 34-years-old, and his best days are well in the rearview. Still, Archer was decent as a full-time starter for the Twins last season, posting a 4.56 ERA over 25 starts. Like the rest of the guys on this list, he’s not going to return to All-Star form ever again, but he could provide high quality veteran depth, and the Braves can offer him an opportunity to end his career with a ring.
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Photo: Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire
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