The Braves made a series of five roster moves Friday, including the reinstatement of relief pitcher Sean Newcomb from the injured list and the promotion of reliever Edgar Santana from the alternate training site.
The Braves also optioned pitcher Bryse Wilson and infielder Johan Camargo to the alternate site and transferred pitcher Mike Soroka to the 60-day injured list.
Soroka’s return from last year’s Achilles tendon surgery has been stalled by right shoulder inflammation. His move to the 60-day IL was procedural, opening a spot on the 40-man roster. The time Soroka has spent on the 10-day injured list since the start of the season will count toward his required time on the 60-day IL.
It had become clear recently that Soroka wouldn’t be activated before sometime in June, at the earliest. He began playing catch again just this week.
The Braves acquired Santana, a 29-year-old right-hander, from the Pirates for cash April 9. He last appeared in a major-league game in 2018.
“I’m anxious to see (him),” Braves manager Brian Snitker said Friday. “I’ve heard a lot of really good things out of the alternate site on him. It’ll be interesting to see what he brings.”
Santana pitched in 69 games out of the Pittsburgh bullpen in 2018, compiling a 3.26 ERA with 56 strikeouts and only 12 walks in 66-1/3 innings. He underwent “Tommy John” elbow surgery following that season, sidelining him for all of 2019. He was suspended for last year’s shortened season because of a positive test for a performance-enhancing substance (Boldenone).
Wilson, 23, was sent to the alternate training site at Gwinnett after a shaky start against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday night, in which he allowed four runs on seven hits in three innings. In three starts this season, he is 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA, having given up 10 runs and 18 hits in 12 innings. Opponents are hitting .367 against him.
“He just needs to keep working,” Snitker said. “He’s a young kid, still. He got here (to the major leagues) probably earlier than he should have, quite honestly, but there’s a lot to like about Bryse. ... It’s just about refining his pitches.”
Camargo is hitless in 11 at-bats with the Braves this season. The Braves basically opted to go with a deeper bullpen and a shorter bench for at least this weekend.
Newcomb, a left-hander, was pitching well early in the season. He has a 1.69 ERA in five appearances, allowing two hits and striking out 12 in 5-1/3 innings.
“It’s good getting Newk back,” Snitker said.
Another key Braves reliever, right-hander Chris Martin, sidelined since April 4, is still on the injured list, but he is expected to throw in a couple of simulated games at the alternate site while the Braves are on the road.
The Braves opened a three-game weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla., on Friday night, the start of a six-game trip that also includes three games against the Washington Nationals next week.
Max Fried is expected to return to the Braves’ starting rotation in Washington after being sidelined since April 13 with a hamstring injury. His return would reclaim, in effect, the spot in the rotation that Wilson has been filling.
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