Iglesias to miss start of season
NORTH PORT, Fla. — A week from opening day, the Atlanta Braves received some unfortunate news: They will begin the 2023 schedule without their closer.
Raisel Iglesias will start the season on the injured list because of low-grade inflammation in his throwing shoulder. The 33-year-old right-hander will not throw for seven days, and the Braves hope he will need only the required 15 days on the injured list.
“To get him right, we shut him down, we’ll build him back,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said, “and hopefully can get him sooner than later.”
Snitker said Iglesias felt something Wednesday while playing catch at Atlanta’s spring training complex, reported it to the team and underwent an MRI.
“There’s inflammation in there,” Snitker said. “Everything structurally is good. Hopefully we can get ahead of it.”
This could be a massive blow for the Braves, depending on how long Iglesias is sidelined. He was terrific after Atlanta acquired him from the Los Angeles Angels last August, allowing one run, striking out 30 batters and walking five in 26 1/3 innings and 28 appearances during the regular season after the trade.
Kenley Jansen, who led the Braves with 41 saves during 2022 in his lone season with the team, signed with the Boston Red Sox in the offseason.
Snitker said it was too soon to know for sure who would handle the closer’s role with Iglesias sideline but noted that A.J. Minter, a 29-year-old lefthander with 25 career saves, including five last year, “would be the obvious guy.”
“I don’t know. It may be a matchup scenario-type thing,” Snitker added. “You’ve just got to audible a little bit with the guys that you have and see.”
Joe Jiménez, a 28-year-old right-hander acquired from the Detroit Tigers in December, has 20 career saves.
“He’s pitched the leverage innings,” Snitker said. “I think we’ll just have to wait and see how we get there. It’ll be kind of like, how do we get to the ninth inning? What’s the eighth inning look like, and
what’s our best matchup for that? And deal with the ninth inning when we get there.”
Veteran pitchers Collin McHugh, a righty, and Lucas Luetge, a lefty, have proven they can go multiple innings, and the versatility in Atlanta’s bullpen will be useful.
“Even with this not happening, I think it’s good to have guys like that to bridge to the back end of the game,” Snitker said.
Iglesias going on the injured list will open a spot in the bullpen. Currently, righties Jesse Chavez and Michael Tonkin are still in big league camp.
Veteran right-hander Nick Anderson had pitched well in spring training games, but the Braves optioned him Monday.
It seems Anderson’s minor league options heavily factored into the decision to option him because the Braves want to keep their depth. Anderson might be a prime candidate for the opening day roster: If the Braves place an injured player on the roster and then put him on the injured list, someone who has been optioned wouldn’t need to spend the required time in the minors.
“He’s a guy that’s continuing to throw the ball well,” Snitker said. “It’s something that we’ll have to deal with.”
And it came when the Braves have less than a week left in Florida.
Said Snitker: “You just never know.”