With the Atlanta Braves set to play a doubleheader against the New York Mets Saturday, most knew that the Braves would be calling up a starter as the 27th-man, especially with the Braves in the middle of playing 14 games in 13 days. Now, it appears we have our answer.
Allan Winans has a locker in the Braves’ clubhouse at Citi Field. The Braves need a starter for one of the games tomorrow.
— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) August 11, 2023
Winans is expected to start one of the games in tomorrow’s doubleheader. The Braves haven’t officially made the announcement.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) August 11, 2023
The Braves likely won't announce when the 28-year-old right-hander will take the mound until after Friday's game but Allan Winans' presence in New York this weekend almost guarantees a start.
Winans, who just made the cut on MLB Pipeline's midseason Top-30 Braves Prospects list, will be making his second MLB start. He previously started in a spot start against the Brewers on July 22, where he went 4.1 innings, allowed two runs, and struck out five.
Originally a 17th-round draft pick by the New York Mets in 2018, Winans now has the opportunity to face his former organization.
Winans found his way into the Braves organization during the 2021-2022 offseason when the Mets left him unprotected in the minor league round of the Rule 5 Draft.
The Mets had used the righty exclusively as a reliever, but since joining the Braves organization, Winans has only made seven relief appearances, working mostly as a starter.
This year in Gwinnett, Winans has a 2.79 ERA in 113 innings. He's appeared in 20 games and has started 15 of them.
While his stay on the Braves' active roster likely won't last longer than Saturday, he'll look to help put an end to the Braves' starting rotation struggles, which has put up the second-worst ERA in the majors, behind just the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Winans isn't an overpowering pitcher, with a fastball that tops out at 92 MPH, but he's managed to strike out eight batters per nine innings and has managed to limit the home run ball to under one per nine.
Stay tuned for a roster announcement later this evening...