Bryce Elder To Battle For Fifth Rotation Spot
12 months agoAtlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said last weekend that right-hander Bryce Elder will battle Reynaldo Lopez, A.J. Smith-Shawver and others for the fifth spot in the starting rotation in spring training. Lopez could be stretched out in camp to prepare for the possibility of being used as a starter at some point. Chris Sale's presence creates the opportunity for Lopez to be used as a reliever, a role in which he's thrived. Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton are the other members of Atlanta's current rotation heading into the 2024 campaign. The 24-year-old Elder will still be the favorite for the fifth rotation spot out of spring training, but if his second-half struggles from 2023 remain early on, he could be out of a starting job quickly. Overall in 31 starts last season, Elder went 12-4 with a 3.81 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 128 strikeouts in 174 2/3 innings.
Source: MLB.com - Mark Bowman
Source: MLB.com - Mark Bowman