The Atlanta Braves have optioned starting pitcher Darius Vines back to Triple-A Gwinnett, making room for Bryce Elder, who will start on Monday against the Miami Marlins.
This was always expected once Spencer Strider went down for the season with a torn UCL. After not making the Opening Day roster despite being an NL All-Star last season, Elder was supposed to be next in line if an injury were to arise. However, because of the way the rest worked out, Allan Winans and Darius Vines got the first few cracks.
Winans was pelted by the Mets and only made one start. Vines, on the other hand, showed a lot of promise against two of the best offenses in baseball. He only allowed one run over 4.2 innings against the Astros and was cruising on Sunday night against the Rangers before a couple of home runs in the fourth inning.
It probably won’t be too long before we see Vines make another start for the Braves. He’s got some serious potential, but we are long overdue for Elder’s 2024 Braves debut.
Through three starts for the Stripers this season, Elder is 2-0 with a 3.31 ERA and 18 strikeouts over 16.1 innings. The 24-year-old will be making his eighth career start against the Marlins, owning a 1-2 record with a 3.38 ERA and 9.0 K/9.
