Braves place veteran reliever on IL, recall LHP

The Braves announced that right-hander Collin McHugh has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation. Left-hander Jared Shuster has been recalled to take McHugh’s spot on the roster.

McHugh, 36 in June, is in the second year of a two-year, $10M deal, though the club has a $6M option for 2024 with a $1M buyout. He served as a starter earlier in his career, but he’s become an effective reliever in recent years, which continued in the first season of his current contract. With Atlanta last year, he tossed 69 1/3 innings over 58 appearances with a 2.60 ERA. He struck out 27.6% of batters faced while walking just 5.1% and getting grounders at a 39.9% clip.

It’s unclear how long he’s expected to be out of action, but the club will have to get by without him for at least a couple of weeks. With closer Raisel Iglesias also on the IL due to shoulder inflammation and reportedly still not throwing, the Braves will have to proceed without two of their best high-leverage relief options. That work is now likely to fall to pitchers like A.J. Minter and Joe Jiménez, at least for the time being.

If there’s one silver lining in McHugh going on the shelf, it’s that it helps the club deal with a gap in its rotation. The team went into the spring with four rotation spots filled by Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton and Kyle Wright, with the final spot up for grabs. Wright was delayed in spring and needed to start the season on the injured list, allowing both Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd to get starts in the early going. When Fried got hurt on Opening Day, the Braves needed another arm, calling up Bryce Elder for that job. Amid all that roster shuffling, Shuster got optioned to the minors, which normally requires a 15-day period before being recalled. However, an exception is made when a player goes on the IL, allowing Shuster to return to the active roster earlier. Wright is expected to be activated next week when first eligible, which could lead to one of Dodd, Shuster or Elder getting optioned.