Atlanta Braves option pitcher, prepare for the return of another

The Atlanta Braves have shuffled their pitching staff after their series with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The team announced on their X account that pitcher Daysbel Hernandez was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett.

Hernandez is fired for the second time this season. In eight appearances with the Braves, he allowed no earned runs and struck out 11 batters in 8 2/3 innings pitched. Hernandez also has a 1.03 WHIP in the major leagues this season.

While it seems odd to send out a pitcher with a 0.00 ERA, there are several reasons for the decision.

The first, reported by Braves MLB dot com reporter Mark Bowman, is this reliever AJ Minter expected to be activated from the injured list on Monday. Hernandez also still has minor league options that the Braves can use to upgrade the roster.

Pitchers who are out of minor league options should be designated for assignment and removed from the 40-man roster.

Minter made his third rehab appearance and second for the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers on Sunday, pitching a scoreless inning and allowing a walk to a batter. In three total appearances, he pitched three innings with one earned run (two total), one hit and two walks while striking out three batters.

In 25 appearances for the Braves this season, Minter has a 2.95 ERA, 0.984 WHIP and 0.197 opponent ERA with 23 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings pitched with a rescue on four occasions. For fans of advanced stats, he has an earned run average of 141+ – for reference, a 100+ average is that of an average MLB player.

Overall, the Braves bullpen has posted a 3.19 ERA this season.

Ian Anderson also continued his good work Sunday, not allowing a run as he made his third appearance in rehab following Tommy John surgery.

The Braves continue their home series on Tuesday when they begin their series against the San Francisco Giants.