Atlanta Braves having depth tested early as key bullpen members are in the news.
In Saturday’s last-chance comeback win against the Mets, Atlanta Braves fans were surprised — perhaps even shocked — that Luke Jackson was sent out for both the ninth and tenth innings.
Chris Martin, Darren O’Day, and A.J. Minter had already been used. Shane Greene, Tyler Matsek and Touki Toussaint had warmed up at various times.
But Mark Melancon hadn’t been spotted. The key situations set up in that game clearly called for his involvement, but it didn’t happen.
The answer to that question came in the post-game presser with Brian Snitker:
Brian Snitker said they hope Mark Melancon will be good to go tomorrow. Back locked up on him prior to them asking him to warm up. #Braves
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) July 25, 2020
While that’s what he said, whether Snit will actually allow Melancon to be used tonight is still going to be an open question since pitcher’s backs often cause trouble that lingers. See Kershaw, Clayton for one isolated example.
That raises a question about bullpen use for Sunday. Jackson is almost certainly unavailable, which likely puts Greene and Toussaint high on the list for this evening… even if Melancon can pitch.
Atlanta Braves health update
In the meantime, there was finally some news we wanted to hear concerning prized relief man Will Smith:
Will Smith has been cleared. He threw at Truist Park today. Now it’s just a matter of building him back up.
— Gabe Burns (@GabeBurnsAJC) July 26, 2020
Snit hopes by the time Braves go on their next road trip, Smith will be back. Could be sooner than that.
Finally.
Will Smith had been shut down after a positive COVID-19 test as Summer Camp began, though he was reportedly ‘asymptomatic’.
While that may have been the case, it has taken this long for the Atlanta Braves top relief free agent from 2019 to get the required back-to-back negative tests.
The 31-year-old Smith spent the last 4 fours with the Giants, never having an ERA above 3 in over 135 innings in their uniform. He’s been expected to be an anchor in the bullpen for the Braves, but not had a chance to show what he can do yet.
Still, it appears there will be a few more days until Smith can get into game shape, but help is on the way.
That will be welcomed, for Braves relievers threw 5 full innings on Saturday, and the team won’t see a scheduled day off for over two more full weeks.
Hopefully, Melancon can be available even sooner than Smith. In the meantime, it would be a good time for Sean Newcomb and Mike Foltynewicz to provide strong starts over the next couple of games (corrected).