Atlanta Braves recall Ben Heller, option Darius Vines back to Triple-A

The Atlanta Braves couldn't have asked for anything more from Darius Vines in his major league debut. In need of someone to give the team a quality start and help preserve the bullpen for the home stretch, Vines gave the Braves six innings and helped them sweep the Rockies. His secondary pitches were on point and he held Colorado offense in check while the Braves' bats took care of the rest.

No good deed goes unpunished, of course, as the Braves made a roster move this morning to give Atlanta a fresh bullpen arm and unfortunately for Vines, it was his turn to hop on the Gwinnett Shuttle.

Braves recall Ben Heller, send Darius Vines back to the minors

It is highly unlikely that we have seen the last of Vines as he pitched well and Atlanta has shown a willingness to give their young arms opportunities in that last rotation spot. Kyle Wright's pending return could complicate things there, but Vines pitched well enough to probably earn another spot start or two down the stretch and to be in the mix in the event of another injury in the pitching staff.

Taking his place on the roster is Ben Heller who should provide the Braves with another fresh arm for their bullpen. Heller has made 16 appearances with the Braves this season and while his big league tenure was a bit up and down, he has posted a 4.40 ERA with the Braves and he has pitched well in August for Gwinnett with three earned runs in nine appearances. With Atlanta in the middle of a series against a brutally tough Dodgers squad, they clearly wanted to make sure that they have some bullpen depth in case any of these games go sideways.

Fans should expect to see a fair bit of roster shuffling in the coming weeks as Atlanta gives some arms some fresh looks while managing the workload of their stalwart contributors to keep them fresh for the playoffs. Today's move will be just one of many.

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