Braves add another key piece to the IL

Raisel Iglesias has been flawless for the Braves to begin the season. Through 8.2 innings, he hasn’t allowed a single run, is a perfect 5-for-5 in save opportunities, and owns a ridiculous 0.94 FIP. There hasn’t been a better closer in baseball through the first month, and there hasn’t been a better late-game duo than Iglesias and Robert Suarez.

Ahead of Saturday’s game against the Phillies, manager Walt Weiss said Iglesias was unavailable because he “slept on his shoulder wrong.” He returned Sunday and locked down his fifth save, but whatever was bothering him clearly hasn’t fully subsided.

And with a five-game lead already in the division, the Braves have zero incentive to push anything this early in the season.

Hopefully, this is purely precautionary. But anytime a pitcher is dealing with shoulder discomfort, it’s going to raise some level of concern.

The good news is Suarez is more than capable of stepping into the closing role. He’s already picked up a save this season, boasts a 0.94 ERA of his own, and saved 76 games over the last two seasons with the Padres — earning back-to-back All-Star nods in the process.

If Iglesias needs time, the Braves aren’t scrambling. They’re covered — which is just another example of how well this roster has been built for situations exactly like this.