The Atlanta Braves bullpen is taking a major hit. Southpaw hurler AJ Minter's hip has been bothering him all season, and the situation has reached a breaking point.
Minter needs hip surgery, via The Athletic's David O'Brien.
“#Braves reliever A.J. Minter will have surgery on his left hip, which had bothered him off and on all season,” O'Brien reported.
It's unknown at this time how long Minter will be out, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Justin Toscano.
“A.J. Minter saw the specialist. He needs surgery on his hip,” Toscano reported. “The Braves won’t know the severity until Minter is operated on, Brian Snitker said. The manager couldn’t say for sure whether Minter would miss the rest of the year.”
Regardless, Minter will miss an extended period.
Minter is 5-4 with a 2.62 ERA and 1.019 WHIP in 39 appearances this year. The 30-year-old has over 35 strikeouts in 34.1 innings, as well as one save and a 3.18 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
How will this affect Atlanta's bullpen?
The Braves will survive
While losing Minter hurts, Atlanta still has the third-best bullpen in baseball, via Covers.com. The unit's 3.34 ERA trails only the Milwaukee Brewers and Cleveland Guardians, while its 1.22 WHIP ranks ninth. Its 41 homers allowed is also tied for fourth-best.
Hurlers like Jesse Chavez (2.41 ERA), Joe Jimenez (2.85 ERA), Raisel Iglesias (1.54 ERA), and Dylan Lee (1.96 ERA) will help hold down the fort in Minter's absence. Starting pitchers like Chris Sale (2.61 ERA) and Reynaldo Lopez (2.06 ERA) should also assist by pitching deep into games and taking stress off the relievers.
At 63-56, the Braves simply need to hold on well enough to maintain the NL's third Wild Card position. They're currently two games ahead of the New York Mets and 3.5 ahead of the San Francisco Giants, although beating the latter squad on Wednesday and Thursday would help extend their lead over it.
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