Atlanta optioned Elder to Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday.
Both Elder and Ian Anderson were dismissed from the competition for a spot in the Opening Day rotation, leaving Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd as the main candidates to begin the season as Atlanta's No. 5 starter. Elder turned in a 3.17 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 47;23 K:BB across 54 innings over his 10 appearances (nine starts) with the big club in 2022.
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Braves' Bryce Elder: Making bid for rotation spot
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Elder gave up one hit and struck out three over three scoreless innings in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros.
Facing a Houston lineup that contained the likes of Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman, Elder fared much better than he had in his first spring start. The 23-year-old righty is very much in the mix for an Opening Day rotation spot, and he might even be the favorite at the moment with Mike Soroka (hamstring) still having trouble staying healthy and Ian Anderson scuffling so far in camp.
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Braves' Bryce Elder: To make second start Friday
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Elder is scheduled to make his second Grapefruit League start Friday against the Astros, Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Elder said he felt rushed while adjusting to the new pitch clock in his spring debut Sunday, when he was lit up for four earned runs over just 1.2 innings versus the Yankees. Fighting for the final spot in Atlanta's season-opening starting rotation, he'll look to show more comfort and command Friday afternoon against the reigning World Series champs. Ian Anderson is Elder's primary competition for that No. 5 starter role.
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Braves' Bryce Elder: Fans five in Monday's loss
Rotowire
Elder (2-4) took the loss Monday, giving up four runs on six hits and a walk over five innings as Atlanta fell 4-0 to the Marlins. He struck out five.
The rookie right-hander wasn't able to take advantage of a soft matchup, getting tagged for a pair of runs in the first and third innings while getting no run support. Elder fired 67 of 98 pitches for strikes, and he still sports an impressive 1.75 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 23:6 K:BB through 25.2 innings in September, although all four of his starts have come against the Marlins or Nationals -- not exactly playoff-caliber competition.
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Braves' Bryce Elder: Shuts out Nats
Rotowire
Elder (2-3) allowed six hits and a walk while striking out six in a complete game shutout of the Nationals on Monday.
The 23-year-old right-hander is one of the late-comers to Atlanta's rookie brigade, but he's making a case for inclusion on the team's postseason roster. Elder has posted a 0.65 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 28:8 K:BB over 27.2 innings in four spot starts dating back to mid-August, but it should be noted all four outings came against Miami or Washington.
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Braves' Bryce Elder: Nabs another start
Rotowire
Elder is scheduled to start Monday's game in Washington.
With Spencer Strider (oblique) landing on the injured list last week, Elder looks poised to finish the regular season as a member of Atlanta's rotation. The rookie right-hander fared well in his most recent start Sept. 21 against Washington, striking out six in a no-decision while allowing one earned run on four hits and two walks across 5.2 frames.
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Braves' Bryce Elder: Possible waiver wire pickups
Rotowire
If you're really looking to cram as many starts into your lineup as possible, then Elder is someone to consider now that we know he'll continue to fill Spencer Strider's rotation spot for the Braves. His raw stuff doesn't earn particularly high marks, but he generates ground balls at a good rate and has more or less dominated in his past three major-league starts (albeit with minor-league stints in between), allowing a combined two runs on nine hits with 22 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings. Granted, all were against weak opponents, but the same is true for his upcoming start against the Nationals. The Mets will follow, which is a little scarier, but at least Elder is backed by a strong lineup. Again, this is primarily a volume play, and the risk should be noted.
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Braves' Bryce Elder: Impresses in spot start
Rotowire
Elder allowed one earned run on four hits and two walks while striking out six across 5.2 innings Wednesday against the Nationals. He did not factor into the decision.
Elder got a spot start after Spencer Strider (oblique) had his start pushed back a few days. Elder took advantage of the look at the big-league level, inducing nine groundball outs to go along with his six punchouts to keep the Nationals lineup in check. Though he's pitched at Triple-A Gwinnett for much of the season, Elder has maintained a 3.38 ERA with a 36:21 K:BB across 40 innings with Atlanta on the campaign.
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Braves' Bryce Elder: Starting Wednesday vs. Nationals
Rotowire
Elder will start Wednesday's game against the Nationals, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Spencer Strider's oblique is bothering him, so he will be pushed back a few days and Elder will step into the rotation Wednesday in order to allow Max Fried to line up against the Phillies on Thursday. Elder dazzled in his last two MLB starts, striking out 16 and allowing just one earned run in 13 total innings.
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Braves' Bryce Elder: Called up Monday
Rotowire
Elder was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Elder will return to the big leagues after being sent down Sept. 4, joining Atlanta's bullpen for the stretch run. The right-hander has produced a 3.67 ERA and 1.37 WHIP with 30 strikeouts over 34.1 frames in seven appearances including six starts with Atlanta this season. William Woods was sent down to Gwinnett in a corresponding move.
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Braves' Bryce Elder: Heads to minors after spot start
Rotowire
Atlanta optioned Elder to Triple-A Gwinnett following Saturday's 2-1 win over the Marlins.
Making a spot start Saturday in place of Jake Odorizzi (arm), Elder was brilliant in the outing. He struck out six and scattered two hits and two walks over six scoreless innings before departing with a 1-0 lead, but Elder was denied the win when closer Kenley Jansen served up a game-tying solo home run in the ninth inning. Though Elder will now head back to Triple-A, he could be first in line for a promotion if Atlanta requires another starter again at some point over the final month of the season.
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Braves' Bryce Elder: Recalled, starting Saturday
Rotowire
Elder was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to start Saturday's game against the Marlins.
Elder was sent down in mid-August following a dominant start, but he'll rejoin the big-league club to start Saturday's game on short notice after Jake Odorizzi (arm) was scratched. During his start against the Marlins on Aug. 14, Elder allowed just one run on three hits and three walks while striking out 10 in seven innings.
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Braves' Bryce Elder: Optioned after dominant start
Rotowire
Elder was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett after striking out 10 across seven innings in a no-decision against the Marlins on Sunday. He allowed one run on three hits and three walks.
The 23-year-old was called up during Saturday's doubleheader and made a spot start Sunday for Atlanta, and the rookie delivered his best outing in the majors by a significant margin. Overall this year, Elder has a 4.45 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 24:17 K:BB over 28.1 innings, and he should remain in the mix for a call-up down the stretch if Atlanta needs another spot starter.
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Braves' Bryce Elder: Called up ahead of nightcap
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Elder was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett ahead of the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Marlins, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Elder spent a week in the minors but will rejoin Atlanta's bullpen to provide assistance during Saturday's nightcap. He should be available as a multi-inning reliever after he posted a 5.48 ERA and 1.73 WHIP in 21.1 innings over his first five appearances (four starts) in the big leagues.
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Braves' Bryce Elder: Sent back to minors
Rotowire
Atlanta returned Elder to Triple-A Gwinnett following Saturday's doubleheader with the Mets.
Back in the majors for the first time since late April, Elder appeared in long relief in Atlanta's 8-5 loss in Game 1, covering 2.1 innings and striking out two while allowing three earned runs on five hits. He'll settle back into a starting role as he returns to Gwinnett, but he's unlikely to pick up additional starts with Atlanta this season unless the big club loses multiple rotation members to injury.
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Braves' Bryce Elder: Hurls gem in Triple-A
Rotowire
Elder tossed eight shutout innings Monday against Triple-A Louisville, allowing just two hits and a walk with eight strikeouts. He now has a 5.10 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 33:10 K:BB across 30 innings for Gwinnett.
Elder was masterful, as he had a no-hitter going through six before settling for a merely excellent outing rather than a legendary one. He mostly struggled through four starts in the majors this year and has had a couple of blowups in the minors as well, but Elder still has intriguing potential. It all comes down to his control -- when it's there, he's dominant, but when it isn't, the wheels can come off quickly. Elder has issued three-plus walks in five of his nine starts this season between Triple-A and the majors; he's posted a 1.97 WHIP and 15:21 K:BB in those outings. In the other four, he's put up a 0.68 WHIP and 30:3 K:BB. That's about as stark as it gets in terms of game-to-game variance. If Elder can find a way to locate his pitches more consistently, the upside could be tremendous, but there's obviously a lot of volatility here.
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Braves' Bryce Elder: Demoted to minors
Rotowire
Atlanta optioned Elder to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.
He'll return to the minors one day after he took his third loss in as many starts, this time falling to the Rangers. After limiting the Nationals to three earned runs over 5.2 innings en route to capturing the win in his MLB debut April 12, Elder has failed to get out of the fifth inning in each of his subsequent three turns. Over those outings, he's submitted a 4.73 ERA, 1.95 WHIP and most troublingly, an 8:14 K:BB in 13.1 innings. Atlanta will replace him in the rotation with Kyle Muller, who was called up from Triple-A to start Sunday's series finale in Texas.
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Braves' Bryce Elder: Struggles with command in loss
Rotowire
Elder (1-2) allowed two runs on five hits and six walks while striking out four in 4.2 innings to take the loss Sunday against the Marlins.
Elder threw just 54 of his 96 pitches for strikes Sunday, but he was relatively effective at limiting runs. He held Miami scoreless for the first four innings before giving up a pair of runs with two outs in the fifth frame. The right-hander has now been charged with back-to-back losses, and he has a 4.30 ERA and 1.70 WHIP in 14.2 innings. He tentatively lines up to make his next start on the road against the Rangers on Saturday.
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Braves' Bryce Elder: Starting Sunday
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Elder will start Sunday's game against the Padres, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Elder was initially expected to start Monday's series opener against the Dodgers, but he'll now move up to pitch on normal rest Sunday against a more favorable opponent. The right-hander made his major-league debut Tuesday against the Nationals and allowed three runs on six hits and no walks while striking out four in 5.2 innings. Huascar Ynoa will now be pushed back to start Monday.
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Braves' Bryce Elder: Called up for MLB debut
Rotowire
Elder's contract was selected by Atlanta on Tuesday ahead of his scheduled MLB debut against Washington.
Elder will step in for a spot start with Atlanta looking to give Max Fried an extra day of rest prior to his second outing of the year. The 22-year-old righty was merely a fifth-round pick in the 2020 draft, but he looked good across the three highest minor-league levels last season. In 25 starts, he cruised to a 2.75 ERA and 1.10 WHIP, with a strong 27.7 percent strikeout rate offsetting his 10.2 percent walk rate.
