Bryce Elder gave the Braves exactly what they needed Sunday afternoon, and he apparently did it while dealing with a knee injury.
Elder worked six innings and allowed one run with five strikeouts as Atlanta avoided a sweep against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Afterward, Walt Weiss said the right-hander has been battling through some knee “stuff,” and the manager added, “Bryce has been a warrior, man.”
That kind of outing has become part of Elder’s identity. He may not be the kind of starter who grabs the spotlight heading into October, but he keeps taking the ball and giving Atlanta a chance. Through 24 starts this season, he has posted a 3.92 ERA and 1.3 WAR, and he’s done it with his back against the wall since Opening Day.
Elder entered the year with no firm hold on a roster spot. He was behind Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrep, Spencer Strider, Chris Sale, Grant Holmes and Reynaldo Lopez in the pecking order, and because he’s out of options, missing the roster would have meant a designation for assignment.
Spring Training injuries to several of those pitchers opened the door, and Elder made the most of it. He has been a major reason the Braves are sitting 7.5 games up in the NL East.
Now the question is whether the knee issue will cost him any time. One possibility would be a 15-day IL stint to give him extra rest, which would also clear a rotation spot for AJ Smith-Shawver. Smith-Shawver has earned that kind of look with the way he’s pitched since returning from Tommy John surgery.
Atlanta could also choose to go with a six-man rotation to spread the workload, though Weiss has made it clear he doesn’t like that setup because of the pressure it puts on the bullpen.
A decision should come soon. Smith-Shawver is too talented to keep waiting in the wings, and the Braves need to see him against big-league hitters to better understand what his postseason role could be.
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