Brave: Could an old friend replace Didier Fuentes in the rotation?

Nothing is certain yet, but it does look like the Braves might be willing to look the other way after Fuentes struggled mightily in New York. That’s a very tough place to pitch for a rookie making just his second ever start, and he was facing a good offense that was desperate for a win after losing 10 of their last 11 games.

Didier Fuentes clearly isn’t major-league ready, and the fact the Braves are even considering using him again as a starter is a testament to their other options. Nobody else on the farm is qualified to be starting games at the top level, but there is one option that has begun to emerge — old friend Jackson Stephens.

Stephens has appeared sporadically for the Braves over the last two seasons, pitching in eight games since the start of the 2023 campaign. However, in 2022, he pitched in some really big moments for the Braves, compiling a more than respectable 3.69 ERA over 53.2 innings.

Stephens is probably best-suited for a long relief role. He’s only made five starts in his entire major-league career and just one since 2017. However, desperate times call for desperate measures, and the Braves are about as desperate as possible for starting pitching.

On June 20th, the Braves activated Jackson Stephens off the Development List and plugged him into their starting rotation. Over his first two outings for the Gwinnett Stripers, he’s pitched nine innings, allowing zero runs and just one hit with 12 strikeouts, including five shutout innings yesterday.

The Braves clearly see something in Didier Fuentes or he never would have received the call in the first place. It’s perfectly fine if they want to give him another opportunity to show them something. However, if his struggles continue, Jackson Stephens looks like he could be next in line for a spot in the starting rotation.