Aaron Bummer entered on the fourth, with one on and one out, and promptly gave up his third homer in his last four outings. He struck out the next two batters, but it got worse in the fifth when his velocity dropped by about two MPH on every pitch. The first two batters singled, and the only out he recorded before Fuentes bailed him out came on a sacrifice bunt.
Bummer's velocity drop is concerning, but he’s also just not the same pitcher this year as he’s been for the Braves in past seasons. Including Sunday’s game, Bummer faced 23 batters, gave up seven hits, including three home runs, struck out four, and walked one.
It's time to call up reinforcements, but who are the Braves going to call?
Normally, this would mean a trip to the IL to give his arm a rest and let him find his old form, but therein lies the problem. Placing Bummer on the IL would leave Dylan Lee as the only lefty in the bullpen, and the lefty options on the 40-man roster are either not pitching well or injured.
The Usual Suspect(s)
The obvious choice is Dylan Dodd, but he went on the IL on April 21 with thoracic spine inflammation. Late Sunday afternoon, Rotowire reported that Dodd is projected to start a rehab assignment at Gwinnett this week; barring a setback, he’ll be back in seven to 10 days. If Dodd isn’t able to return soon, the Braves are left with only one other lefty option not on the IL, Hayden Harris.
Harris made three appearances for the Braves after Bummer went down last September, giving up one run to Seattle. This season with Gwinnett, he’s appeared in 11 games and given up runs in five of them. Harris has struck out 18 in his 12 IP, but also allowed 11 hits and walked 14. Harris’ lack of control makes him an unlikely call-up.
Non-Roster Lefties
Ray Kerr is on the roster for Gwinnett, but he’s also on the IL and hasn’t pitched this year. Jack Dashwood, Herick Hernandez, and Samual Strickland are the lefties on the roster for AA Columbus. The Angels selected Dashwood in the 12th round of the 2021 draft. The Braves signed him as a minor league free agent last offseason, but the 28-year-old remains a rookie without an appearance above AAA, and is currently carrying a 5.74 ERA.
The Braves selected Hernandez in the fourth round of the 2024 draft. He pitched well enough for Rome in 2025 to begin this season at Columbus and went seven one-hit innings against Montgomery in his last start. However, in the three starts before that, he threw eight combined innings (4, 1.2, and 2.1) and gave up eight runs, four earned, including two homers.
The Braves selected Strickland in the 19th round of the 2021 draft. He worked as a starter in 2021 and 2022, but moved to the pen in 2023. He’s now 27, and in his first year with Columbus. Strickland’s thrown 14 innings over nine appearances, allowed 22 hits, including three homers, struck out 15 and walked one.
That’s a Wrap
Lack of lefty depth, beyond Dodd, capable of replacing Bummer in the pen, means the club’s unlikely to make a change sooner before Dodd’s ready. Reynaldo Lopez works equally well against batters from both sides of the plate, so you may see him pressed into that role more and more, particularly after Raisel Iglesias returns on Tuesday.
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