Bryce Elder, Dylan Dodd Could Join Braves Rotation
With right-hander Spencer Strider (elbow) out, next up from Triple-A Gwinnett for spot-start duty could be Atlanta Braves right-hander Bryce Elder, who was an All-Star in 2023 before fading in the second half in his first full season in the big leagues. Another option is left-hander Dylan Dodd, who started in the Braves' rotation last year before struggling and being sent to Gwinnett. Elder has a 2.61 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and a .211 opponents' average in his first two starts at Triple-A with 11 strikeouts, three walks and a homer allowed in 10 1/3 innings. Dodd had a 1.54 ER with 12 K's in 11 2/3 innings before he was hit hard on Thursday at Gwinnett. Darius Vines is another option. Huascar Ynoa and top prospect AJ Smith-Shawver have struggled in their first couple of Triple-A outings this year.
Atlanta Braves right-hander Dylan Dodd will become a full-time member of the rotation after making a spot start on Thursday, going six innings and allowing three runs with one punchout and three walks en route toward the victory over the Miami Marlins. Kyle Wright recently landed on the shelf (shoulder), giving the 24-year-old a chance to start consistently. Across three games this season, Dodd owns a 6.46 ERA, 10.0% strikeout rate, and 1.83 WHIP but has limited the walks, posting a 5.7% walk rate. He isn't a must-add in standard leagues, and fantasy managers should only pick him up in deeper formats.
The Atlanta Braves optioned left-hander Jared Shuster to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday and selected the contract of left-hander Dylan Dodd from the minors in a corresponding move. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Braves designated outfielder Jordan Luplow for assignment. Shuster struggled in his MLB debut on Sunday against the Washington Nationals and allowed four runs on six hits while walking five and striking out one in 4 1/3 innings. Dodd will make his big-league debut on Tuesday against the St. Louis Cardinals. Meanwhile, Bryce Elder is expected to replace Max Fried (hamstring) in the rotation this week. Dodd, the team's No. 10 prospect per MLB Pipeline, is athletic but doesn't have overpowering stuff. His ceiling will likely be as a back-end starter in the big leagues.
Jared Shuster, Dylan Dodd To Start In The Rotation
With Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Kyle Wright (shoulder) opening the year on the injured list, pitchers Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd will both make a start in the first two series of the 2023 regular season. Dodd, Atlanta's No. 10 prospect, will start April 4 against the St. Louis Cardinals. Shuster, the team's top prospect per MLB Pipeline, is currently lined up to start the third game of the season next Sunday against the Washington Nationals. Once Wright is ready to make his season debut, one of Shuster or Dodd will likely be sent to the minors. Shuster, a former first-rounder, has looked lights-out this spring and has a high floor in the long term. Dodd, 24, has struck out 20 hitters and walked just four in Grapefruit League action.
Left-handed pitching prospect Dylan Dodd is putting himself into the conversation for the Atlanta Braves fifth starting role after a stellar spring training. In 18 innings pitched, the 24-year-old has an ERA of 1.50 with 20 strikeouts and an opponent batting average of .227. In 2022, the southpaw quickly progressed from High-A to Triple-A Gwinnett. The No. 9 prospect in the Braves system, Dodd has a chance to take the Braves fifth starting role, but he'll have to beat out their top-ranked pitching prospect, left-hander Jared Shuster. Their trajectories have been nearly identical, as Shuster similarly rose from High-A to Triple-A and has performed similarly to Dodd in spring training -- 1.45 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings pitched. It'll come down to the wire between the two, but the lower-ranked Dodd has put himself in a great position to leapfrog Shuster.
Bryce Elder
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Braves
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