The Atlanta Braves' bullpen took a major hit ahead of their contest with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night. Following a loss in the first game of the series Atlanta will now be without one of its top relievers for the foreseeable future.
The Braves put right-hander Pierce Johnson on the 15-Day IL Saturday, via The Athletic's David O'Brien.
“This is a setback: #Braves put reliever Pierce Johnson, one of their top setup men, on the 15-day IL with elbow inflammation,” said O'Brien. “To make room on the 40-man roster, they transferred rehabbing LHP Angel Perdomo to the 60-day injured list.”
Johnson was having a solid season thus far, posting a 2-1 record with a 3.00 ERA, one save and three holds across 12 innings pitched. Over his career, the 32-year-old has a 14-16 record with a 3.98 ERA, as well as 14 saves and 35 holds.
Where does this leave Atlanta's bullpen? Will the club be able to tread water in the meantime?
The Braves should be able to get through this temporary setback
Luckily for Atlanta, the bullpen is loaded with depth and should be able to get through this loss over the next few weeks. The Braves' relievers collectively have a 3.28 ERA, good for ninth in the MLB.
The club brought up right-hander Jackson Stephens to temporarily replace Johnson, via Fansided's Eric Cole.
“Speaking of Jackson Stephens, he is back once again,” Cole said. “Stephens is basically the Braves emergency bench reliever who gets called up when someone is hurt and played a similar role last year as well when he posted a very reasonable 3.00 ERA in five appearances in 2023. Stephens has made a handful of appearances at Triple-A Gwinnett this year posting very similar run prevention numbers, but with a notable uptick in his strikeout rate to 12.5 K/9 in a small sample.”
These next few games will serve as an audition for Stephens. If he can consistently dominate opponents, he could make a case to stick around on the 40-man roster permanently.
The Braves also brought in right-hander Jimmy Herget in a trade with the Los Angeles Angels on Friday. The 30-year-old should also boost their depth, as he has has a 3.47 career ERA across 121 appearances.
Meanwhile, Perdomo's delayed return isn't a big blow in the short-term, but it is a long-term inconvenience. Atlanta hasn't had much of a chance to see what it has in the southpaw, as he still hasn't thrown a pitch for the club yet. The former Pittsburgh Pirate has a 5.55 career ERA across 48.2 innings pitched.
Overall, the Braves are 20-10, sitting just half a game behind the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East. Even if the bullpen's production does take a slight dip in Johnson's absence, the team has bought itself some breathing room due to its hot start.
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