As if the Braves needed anymore help, they could have several more key contributors come back before the end of the season.
Dylan Lee is currently on a rehab assignment and could return very soon. Kyle Wright is down in Florida, and his rehab assignment looks like it may begin any day now. It’s very possible he returns in mid-to-late September. Jesse Chavez has also been recently seen throwing off a mound. He could be back next month as well, and even Nick Anderson is progressing in his rehab.
Anderson was placed on the 60-day IL in mid-July with a shoulder strain. He’ll be eligible to return on September 8th, and hopefully, he can start participating in rehab assignments before then. Prior to the injury, he was one of the most reliable relievers in the Braves bullpen, posting a 3.06 ERA and 3.09 FIP. He is still tied for second in fWAR with 0.9 despite not being available for over a month.
If Anderson can return sometime in September, it will create an intriguing predicament for the Braves brass. The bullpen right now, without any additions, might already be the best in baseball. Nobody has done much of anything to lose their spot, but Dylan Lee is a really good reliever. Jesse Chavez had a 1.51 ERA over 29 appearances before going down with injury, and Nick Anderson was the team’s most reliable set up man during the first half of the season. All of them, if healthy, belong on the major-league roster.
It’s a problem every other team in baseball would love to have, but Alex Anthopoulos and company are going to have to make some tough calls over the next couple of months.
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