Braves are calling up 20-year-old prospect Didier Fuentes

Now, I have absolutely no idea who Joe Webster is, but congratulations on breaking this nugget, as it has since been confirmed by several reputable sources.

It’s not at all atypical for the Braves to aggressively push their most talented young arms through the minors, and Didier Fuentes definitely falls into that category. Don’t let the 4.81 ERA fool you; he’s got great stuff and does the two things the Braves care about the most. He generates whiffs at a high rate and doesn’t walk batters.

Just a week ago, Didier Fuentes became the third teenager ever to play for the Gwinnett Stripers, joining Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ozzie Albies. That’s pretty good company, and Fuentes shined in his only AAA outing, tossing 4.2 innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts and zero walks.

Still, on the surface, it’s a bit of a shock that the Braves are calling Fuentes up this quickly. But if you dig a little deeper, it makes some more sense. The Braves had to have liked what they saw by lining up Spencer Schwellenbach, Chris Sale, and Spencer Strider against the Mets. By using Didier Fuentes against the Marlins, it allows them to line up those same three guys at Citi Field next week.

It’s finally been a fun week of baseball, and it has a chance to continue tonight in a big way with Spencer Strider and the Braves going for the sweep against the Mets.