Were the Braves right to option Bryce Elder?

When the Atlanta Braves announced Spencer Strider will return next week to face the Nationals, it meant somebody had to make room for him in the rotation. The club didn’t leave anytime for dramatic effect, quickly optioning Bryce Elder after yesterday’s game.

It’s a pretty sick blow for Elder, who was finally putting together his first stretch of high quality baseball since the first half of the 2023 season. After making the All-Star team that year, he infamously collapsed in the second half, recording a 5.75 ERA over his final 14 starts. He then posted a 6.52 ERA in 10 starts last season, and after three outings this year, it seemed like Elder’s time with the organization in general could be on its final leg.

However, due to a number of circumstances, the Braves really didn’t have anywhere else to turn. Reynaldo Lopez was lost after suffering a serious shoulder injury, which required surgery. Spencer Strider went back on the IL after just one start with a hamstring strain, and the Ian Anderson experiment failed during Spring Training. The Braves desperately needed somebody to step up, and that man just so happened to be Bryce Elder.

In his last five starts, Elder has recorded a 3.10 ERA. The Braves won three of those games, and in one of the losses, he exited with a 4-1 lead in the seventh inning. It couldn’t have been an easy conversation for Brian Snitker to have, but there is absolutely no question this was the correct decision.

Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach, and Spencer Strider aren’t going anywhere. One had to go out of AJ Smith-Shawver, Grant Holmes, and Bryce Elder.

If the Braves had optioned Smith-Shawver, there might have been a riot outside Truist Park. The ultra-talented 22-year-old is finally putting it all together. He owns a 2.33 over seven starts this season and has been absurd since the Braves called him back up, posting a 1.08 ERA over four starts.

About the only realistic option the Braves had other than optioning Bryce Elder was moving Grant Holmes into a relief role. He thrived out of the bullpen last year, and his presence would really help a unit that’s struggled at times this season. However, while Holmes’ surface level numbers aren’t eye-popping — 4.14 ERA over 45.2 innings — they don’t really tell the entire story. He has some real upside as a starting pitcher, and the Braves shouldn’t be giving up on that so early in the season.

Bryce Elder’s recent run shouldn’t be forgotten if the Braves manage to get things back on track and push for an eighth straight postseason berth. He played a vital role during a time of uncertainty. But now that reinforcements are returning, there’s no need to press their luck. Elder did his job — and odds are, the Braves will call on him again before the season is over.