Braves ship JR Ritchie back to Triple-A

Ritchie dealt with a lot of chaos early in this game and was ineffective overall. In the first inning, he walked two batters and gave up a double but got out of that inning with just one run on the board because of a double play and Alex Bregman being thrown out trying to take an extra base. Then he let up a double to start the second, but wriggled out of that jam with two timely strikeouts. Solo home runs from Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman followed in the next two frames and a three-run rally in the fifth and Ritchie was yanked then and there. He now has a 5.03 ERA as a rookie and it would be difficult to see the Braves trusting him as part of their playoff staff. Before then, he could get another start against the Reds at home next week given all the uncertainty in Atlanta’s rotation.

Ritchie will come up to take Reynaldo Lopez’s spot on the roster and likely start on Wednesday against the Cubs. Ritchie has a 4.50 ERA and a 53/36 K/BB ratio across 58 innings with the Braves this season and would not be a recommended streaming option for this one.

As expected, with Reynaldo López (knee) landing on the injured list, the Braves bring back Ritchie with the expectation that he’ll start on Sunday against the Nationals. The 23-year-old hurler has registered a 4.50 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and a 49/33 K/BB ratio across 54 innings in 13 appearances (seven starts) for the Braves this season.

Ritchie had been scheduled to start for Triple-A Gwinnett tonight, but he was scratched. With Sunday’s scheduled starter, Martín Pérez, instead pitching tonight, Ritchie tomorrow seems like the obvious move.

After a great MLB debut, it’s been a tough rookie season for Ritchie, who now has a 4.50 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, and 49/33 K/BB ratio in 54 MLB innings. There will likely need to be some pitch mix changes if he’s going to develop into a usable starter for the Braves at the MLB level.

Ritchie surrendered homers to Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. in the 8-3 loss. He’ll be unavailable for a few days after throwing 68 pitches tonight, so it seems pretty likely that he’ll be the pitcher sent down to make room for Martín Pérez on Wednesday.

Ritchie worked behind opener Danny Young, who was charged for a run while going 2/3 of an inning. Ritchie allowed just one hit after taking over, and he walked two and struck out a pair before exiting before the start of the sixth. The 23-year-old has long-term potential and deserves some plaudits for pitching well enough in this game, but there’s still as much risk as there is reward in his fantasy profile.

Waldrep has allowed 10 runs on 13 hits in 10 2/3 innings since coming back from injury. He clearly needs a bit more time to work off the rust in the minor leagues. JR Ritchie will now start on Sunday against the Cardinals, but he also remains off the fantasy radar for now.

Ritchie was sent to the minors on Sunday, but with Martin Perez (forearm) landing on the injured list, the team is able to bring him right back. He will continue to serve in a bulk relief role for now.

The 23-year-old hurler was with the Braves for just one game this time around, picking up his first career save with three scoreless innings to finish out a lopsided victory over the Mets on Saturday. Carlos Carrasco was promoted from Triple-A Gwinnett to take his place in the Braves’ bullpen on Sunday.