Editor\u2019s note: We\u2019re thrilled to introduce Jes\u00fas Cano as our Atlanta Braves beat writer. A native of Pachuca, Mexico, Cano previously covered prospects for Baseball America. This is his first story for The Athletic.<\/p>\n
Atlanta Braves manager Walt Weiss may have preferred to wait a little longer for the club to reinstate closer Raisel Iglesias from the 10-day injured list. But a bullpen meltdown in which Atlanta blew a lead on the way to a one-run loss to the Mariners in Seattle on Monday night forced the team to take quicker action.<\/p>\n
Iglesias, who was placed on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation on April 21, was activated on Tuesday afternoon. In a corresponding move, the Braves designated veteran pitcher Carlos Carrasco for assignment.<\/p>\n
The move is crucial for the Braves because, despite owning the best record in baseball at 25-11, the team has been plagued by injuries all season, particularly on the pitching side. The loss to the Mariners could serve as a warning shot to the club\u2019s thin depth at the moment.<\/p>\n
With Tyler Kinley and Aaron Bummer having each pitched in the last two games, Weiss will be forced to navigate a high-wire act over the next two days with a depleted bridge to the ninth inning.<\/p>\n
The immediate tactics have to change. The training wheels need to come off for Reynaldo L\u00f3pez, so he\u2019s available for crucial back-to-back appearances to steady the ship in the late innings.<\/p>\n
Unleashing L\u00f3pez in that way is critical while young high-leverage assets like pitcher Didier Fuentes require careful protection from overexposure, and while the Braves await the return of Dylan Dodd, who began a rehab assignment on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Iglesias\u2019 return could also affect the starting rotation.<\/p>\n
Weiss indicated that veteran Martin P\u00e9rez may be called upon to make a start later this week. The ripple effect could be felt in the relief corps, with Grant Holmes being sent to the bullpen to improve that group\u2019s versatility.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s key for Iglesias and the Braves to structurally reshape a fragile pitching staff on the fly. If Holmes shifts to relief, L\u00f3pez executes, Iglesias\u2019 arm holds up and Robert Suarez remains available for a high-leverage role, Monday\u2019s panic might leave the Braves with a stronger bullpen than the one they started the month with.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Editor\u2019s note: We\u2019re thrilled to introduce Jes\u00fas Cano as our Atlanta Braves beat writer. A native of Pachuca,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":625520,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[2111,363,99],"class_list":["post-625519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-atlanta-braves","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=625519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625519\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/625520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=625519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=625519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=625519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}