Braves Talk: What's next for the rotation?
The Mike Soroka injury could be crippling to the Atlanta Braves. Soroka and Max Fried have been their most reliable starters through the first 11 games of the season.
Soroka and Fried had combined for a 3.20 ERA this year coming into Monday's game, while the other four starters (Mike Foltynewicz, Sean Newcomb, Kyle Wright and Touki Toussaint) have a combined ERA of 7.71.
Young pitchers Bryse Wilson, top prospect Ian Anderson, Tucker Davidson and Kyle Muller could also be options for Atlanta. It's difficult to know how they have been doing since there are no stats for the workouts in Gwinnett.
Wilson should be first in line considering he has experience. The Braves would likely want to try him first before calling on a kid who has never pitched in the big leagues before.
Veteran right-hander Josh Tomlin has served as a bridge pitcher between the rotation and bullpen in the first 10 games of the season, but he has experience starting in his 11-year career.
Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos was likely already asking around to see what starting pitchers might be available for a trade before the Aug. 31 trade deadline. Even before Soroka's injury Monday, the Braves were in need of a quality number three starter, given the struggles at the backend of their rotation.
And now, they need more than that. But with 16 of the 30 MLB teams making the postseason this year, it's unclear how soon will teams be willing to part with their starters in a trade. Teams might want to wait a few weeks to see if what they playoff race looks like before making a deal.
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