Two Pitchers in Triple-A Who Could Aid Braves Bullpen

The Atlanta Braves have already done their share of shuffling bullpen arms this season. They've already used 24 pitchers this season, 15 of whom have been exclusively used out of the bullpen.

While some of the same names have cycled through, the Braves have some extra options they can still turn to who haven't made it to the mound in the majors this season. Let's look at two of those options now, one lefty and one righty.

Hayden Harris, Left-Hander

It never hurts to have another lefty at your disposal. Overall the numbers of Harris don't stand out. A rough April will ensure that. However, he's been on a nice run since the calendar turned to May.

He's pitched to a 1.58 ERA over his last 11 1/3 innings pitched. He has allowed just one run since May 8. In his latest outing on Saturday, he pitched scoreless inning and tallied a strikeout.

His fastball sits around 92 mph. That's not going to turn many heads, but there is a solid difference in velocity between that pitch and his sweeper, about 11 mph.

With Aaron Bummer out of the picture, they have two left-handers availble who are strictly relievers: Dylan Lee and Dylan Dodd. Martín Pérez comes out of the bullpen, but he's ideally part of the rotation. If any of them were to not be available for a time, whether injury or rest, Harris could be an option to bring up for a couple of games.

Harris was called up for a few days in mid April, but he didn't see any action. The arm was available in case they needed it. He has options. It makes it easy to move him up and down at this time.

James Karinchak, Right-Hander

This is an arm that many have clamoring to see join the Braves bullpen since spring training. It could be a different story against big league bats, but down with Gwinnett, he's showing promise that he could be ready.

Overall on the season, he has a 2.45 ERA with a 1.01 WHIP and a .180 opponent's average. He has more strikeouts than he did with Charlotte last season in fewer innings pitched. After his last appearance on Saturday, where he struck out the side to earn the save, he has 38 punchouts in 25 2/3 innings compared to 34 over 29 1/3 innings.

Karinchak's velocity is sitting around 95 mph consistently. It doesn't top out much higher than that, but it may not have to. His fastball is inducing plenty of whiffs and called strikes. His curveball, which also brings an 11 mph difference in speed, is nearly as effective at freezing hitters.

He can give the team multiple innings as well, having given Gwinnett up to three in a game. The Braves wouldn't be settling for a one-inning option.

It's unclear what it would take for the Braves to make the move to select his contract. Understandably, he has to be selected to the roster, and he'd have to be designated for assignment if he doesn't work out. If they decide it's worth the risk, he looks ready for the challenge.

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