Roe to DL as Braves bullpen injuries pile up

MIAMI -- As A.J. Minter and Mauricio Cabrera attempt to recover from their respective injuries and make their way toward Atlanta, the Braves altered the current makeup of their bullpen on Wednesday, when they placed Chaz Roe on the 10-day disabled list and recalled Jason Hursh from Triple-A Gwinnett.
Roe struggled throughout a significant portion of Spring Training and seemingly benefited from being out of options when the Braves opted to place him on the Opening Day roster. His struggles have extended into the regular season, and he will now be sidelined until at least April 18 with a right lat strain.
"He was hurting a little bit in Spring Training, and since [his last appearance on Friday], it hasn't gotten any better," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "So, it's just better to give him a week and then get him back."
As Roe has retired just six of 13 batters over three appearances, he has contributed to the disappointing results produced by Braves relievers, who entered Wednesday ranked 11th in the National League with 5.56 bullpen ERA.

The Braves may gain a quick fix from Hursh, a 2013 first-round Draft pick who has thrown 3 2/3 scoreless innings for Triple-A Gwinnett this season. But as the team searches for long-term solutions, it will closely monitor the progress made by Cabrera, who is recovering from a strained right elbow, and Minter, who missed a significant portion of Spring Training with an inflamed nerve near his left elbow.
Cabrera felt good after he was cleared to begin completing bullpen sessions at the Braves' Spring Training complex on Wednesday. Per Statcast™, the hard-throwing right-hander averaged 100.5 mph when throwing his four-seam fastball last year. If he continues to make progress, he could join Atlanta's bullpen by the beginning of May.
Minter recorded two strikeouts in a perfect inning as he made his season debut for Class A Advanced Florida on Tuesday night. The highly touted lefty reliever will make at least a few appearances in warm weather climate before being promoted to Gwinnett. He produced a 1.30 ERA over 34 1/3 innings while pitching at three different levels last year, topping out at Double-A.