Ken Giles, a former closer, might soon make his Braves debut.
Pierce Johnson has been placed on a 15-day intermission due to elbow discomfort, in case you missed it. Jackson Stephens has replaced him on the active roster in a comparable move.
Although Stephens is a good pitcher, I don’t think this is a long-term solution. He’s more of a long reliever who can handle cleanup duties during trash time, a position that Jesse Chavez presently has. But the Braves do have a veteran closer in Ken Giles in Gwinnett who has a ton of experience in high leverage situations.
Giles was formerly one of baseball’s most feared relievers, but since 2020, he has only made nine big-league appearances due to injuries. Understandably, a lot of eyes were drawn to him when his name surfaced on the Braves non-roster invitee list for Spring Training, and he made an impression. He was so good that he actually had a shot to make the squad, but starting him Gwinnett made more sense from a roster standpoint.
With Pierce Johnson out, that is no longer the case, and Ken Giles has been playing brilliantly lately in Gwinnett. With just two hits allowed and no walks in his last six innings, he has a 2.45 ERA and has not allowed a run. He is a far better choice to take Johnson’s place, particularly if this ends up keeping him out for several months. Ken Giles should be in Atlanta very soon, in my opinion.
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