Braves Expected to Have Prospect Starting Pitcher Back in Majors Soon

The performance from Didier Fuentes on Wednesday night left the proper impression on the Atlanta Braves. The big question has been when he will be ready to return to the majors. The answer is sooner rather than later.

The current expectation is that once the 15-day minimum in the minor leagues after being optioned has passed, Fuentes will be recalled, per a source close to Atlanta Braves on SI. 

Fuentes was optioned following his long-relief outing on March 29, according to an announcement by the Braves. This would line up with the Braves' upcoming home series vs the Miami Marlins. However, it is unclear which day he would be on the mound. 

Reynalo López is currently serving a five-game suspension. He is set to be reinstated on Tuesday. That will likely play a role in when Fuentes gets penciled in. 

On Wednesday, the Braves' No. 3 prospect gave Triple-A Gwinnett six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and four walks while striking out eight. A key note is that he's stretched out to 86 pitches from 72 in his last start. He threw just under 60% of pitches for strikes.

He was hitting 99 mph as late as his final inning of work. His breaking pitches continue to show promising effectiveness.

"The fastball's always been big, but the secondary stuff is where I think he's really stepped it up, with a breaking ball and the splitter change," Braves manager Walt Weiss said earlier this season.

Through two starts in Triple-A, he has a 9 2/3 scoreless innings, a 0.82 WHIP with 15 strikeouts.

Fuentes was on the Braves' opening day roster, but it was clear from the jump that the intention was to start him in the majors, then move him back down to Triple-A. However, after the dominant spring he had, it was worth getting him some action when they needed a long reliever during the first series of the season.

After Grant Holmes gave the team five innings against the Royals on March 29, Fuentes gave the team the needed innings to take the pressure off the bullpen in a loss. He pitched four innings of one-run ball, while striking out four.

Overall, in spring training, he finished with a 0.66 ERA, a 0.22 WHIP and 18 strikeouts over 13 2/3 innings. At one point, he retired 27 consecutive batters.

Over the weekend vs the Guardians, the Braves have Bryce Elder, Martín Pérez and Chris Sale are penciled in to pitch in that order.