Disservice to Didier Fuentes Latest Embarrassment in Braves' Lost Season

The Braves rushed Fuentes to the Majors, though, not just because of his own talent but due to the injuries they have experienced in their pitching rotation.

Fans can avoid placing blame of injuries on the organization. But I'm not going to do that a second year in a row.

Last year, it was the lineup that experienced a rash of unfortunate injuries and not the starting rotation, but the Braves should have learned their lesson all the same. All-Star starters Max Fried and Reynaldo López missed a handful of starts last summer. The team was fortunate their ailments were minor.

Yet still, the Braves were not overly concerned with their pitching depth entering the 2025 season -- at least not to the point to where the team wanted to spend money on it.

How else can one explain letting 350-plus innings walk out the door with Fried and Charlie Morton exits? Those starters were never really replaced.

Yes, Spencer Strider was coming back from injury, and Spencer Schwellenbach was ready for his first full season. But the Braves gave themselves no margin for error.

If the team was hit with more than one starting rotation injury at one time, they were going to be in trouble.

It took three for the Braves to need to turn to Fuentes. The team had yet to announce Chris Sale's rib injury, but that's what essentially led to Fuentes' call-up. Injuries to Lopez and AJ Smith-Shawver had already happened too.

It would have been great if Fuentes proved to be ready and provided the pitching depth the Braves need right now. On top of Sale, Smith-Shawver and López, Schwellenbach is now out too.

But that was always a long shot, and the Braves took that gamble despite the potential negative impact it could have on the 20-year-old's development.

The bad gamble became blantantly obvious while he gave up three homers and a hit-by-pitch to the first seven batters Tuesday night.

Obviously, winning at the MLB level is the top priority. But that shouldn't take precedent over the future development of a top prospect.

The fact the team viewed Fuentes as the next-best option for the rotation speaks to how poorly the pitching depth was managed this offseason.

It's just another embarrassment in a season that's quickly going in the wrong direction.