The Atlanta Braves had to make some interesting decisions to help them get through the first two weeks of the season. Having 13-straight games isn't an easy task, especially with a lack of pitching depth.
Luckily, the Braves made it through with a winning record despite that. They received some great innings from their starters and relievers. However, now that this tough stretch is over, it's time to say goodbye to one of these options.
Jose Suarez remained on the roster due to his ability to cover multiple innings out of the bullpen. It makes sense with Atlanta's initial plan to go with a six-man rotation. Suarez had an opportunity to start against the Athletics at the end of March.
It didn't go very well as he allowed four earned runs through 3.2 innings with three walks and six strikeouts. He's had a few more chances in April and has covered multiple innings a couple of times. However, it hasn't been the most successful thing for him, and it may be time to remove him from the roster.
It is just time to pull the plug on the Jose Suarez experiment
As of April 14th, Suarez has an 8.64 ERA through 8.1 innings with four walks and 11 strikeouts. The ERA is rough, but his walk and strikeout numbers are respectable. But the main concern lies in his extremely high BABIP of .577 and 1.99 FIP. A high BABIP for a pitcher is usually indicative of very bad luck or extremely poor pitching. For Suarez, it has been the latter. He's not a very dependable option for Walt Weiss to go to at this point.
Suarez was important during the first two weeks because he could cover multiple innings, but now that they are on the other side of it, he's not needed. Atlanta can now do the bullpen shuffle when they need fresh arms.
We've already seen the Braves utilize this with Dylan Dodd and Rolddy Munoz. It's going to be something they have to do for the rest of the season to ensure they can make it through the long haul of an MLB schedule.
There are plenty of options available to them in the minors, and with Spencer Strider set to return in the next month, that will only improve their depth. Suarez still being on the roster is interesting, but it needs to change very soon.
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