The Atlanta Braves were definitely put in a tough spot when Spencer Strider got hurt. You never want to lose a guy as good as Strider is for any reason, but losing him the day before his next start with scant options to replace him for that start is pretty brutal and almost guarantees that a bullpen game is coming.
Thankfully, Spencer Schwellenbach saved the Braves' relievers from doing too much with with a helpful assist from Brian Snitker who left Raisel Iglesias in as he was getting beat up. Atlanta should have plenty of fresh arms available outside of probably Iglesias to make a bullpen game work.
However, the Braves decided that they needed to change things up a bit instead of going with the group they had as they just called up Nathan Wiles amidst a series of roster moves.
The #Braves today selected RHP Nathan Wiles to the major league roster and released RHP Amos Willingham. The club also optioned RHP Michael Petersen to Triple-A Gwinnett following last night’s game.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 22, 2025
Braves recall Nathan Wiles in series of moves to compensate for loss of Spencer Strider
Unfortunately, the easiest options to slot in for Strider in the short-term, like AJ Smith-Shawver for example, pitched down in the minor leagues too recently to be a candidate to start Tuesday. Braves fans may not know Wiles at all as the Braves only traded for him in late March, but he has been quietly pretty awesome down in the minor leagues with the 0.64 ERA in 14 innings (three starts total).
There were certainly some that thought that the Braves would go with a bullpen game on Tuesday and eventually call Smith-Shawver up to cover in Strider's absence. That move would have had the added benefit of giving the Braves another shot at a roster move mistake when they kept Bryce Elder around for reasons escaping anyone.
Instead, it sounds like Wiles has a real shot to start on Tuesday, although nothing is certain just yet. This could just be preferable in the Braves' minds to a bullpen game that could turn into a slog, but there is also a non-zero chance that Wiles is a guy that could factor into the team's plans.
To make room for Wiles, Michael Peterson was sent back down to Gwinnett as the Braves' designated roster shuttle bus guy and released Amos Willingham who had a couple decent appearances in Triple-A before landing on the injured list.