Brian Snitker lauds the maturity of Bryce Elder

With Spencer Strider returning, the Braves had to make the difficult decision of optioning Bryce Elder back to Gwinnett, despite boasting a 3.10 ERA over his last five starts. It’s the best stretch of baseball he’s had at the major-league level in just about two full years, but that’s a testament to how good the Braves rotation has been over the last month or so.

It couldn’t have been an easy conversation for Brian Snitker to have, but the Braves manager praised Elder’s maturity when he found out he was going back to the minors.

“You don’t expect him to be happy about it, but he was a professional about it all,” Snitker said, via Gabe Burns of The Atlanta Journal Constitution. “He’s been through it. He gets it. … He’s going to pitch a long time in the major leagues.”

The Braves didn’t really have much of a choice but to send Bryce Elder to Gwinnett. AJ Smith-Shawver is among the leading candidates for the NL Rookie of the Year award through the first two months of the season, and while Grant Holmes could potentially move to the bullpen, he’s been ultra-reliable to this point as a starting arm. The Braves likely didn’t want to make that kind of move this early in the season.

However, there’s no question Bryce Elder will be needed again at some point. Whether an injury arises or the Braves find a six-man rotation necessary in the future, he still has an ultra-valuable role in Atlanta that will be pivotal in keeping the club’s streak of seven consecutive postseason appearances alive.