LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Touki Toussaint has just five Major League starts under his belt. But he’s been around long enough to know the best way to summarize a forgettable exhibition season start is to say, “I got my work in, that’s all Spring Training is for.”

These were the words Toussaint uttered after allowing five earned runs while working just one inning in the Braves' 7-6 loss vs. the Tigers on Thursday afternoon at Champion Stadium. The highly regarded Braves prospect was seven batters into his abbreviated outing before he recorded his first out.

“It was just one of those outings,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It was just one of those outings. Looked like pitches were running back out over the plate. There’s a lot of times in these games too where it’s every groundball [gets through] because the ground is so hard. It was just one of those days. He’s fine. That’s the big thing.”

On a day when the Braves announced Mike Foltynewicz would miss a start because of elbow discomfort and Kevin Gausman was still easing into things because of previous shoulder discomfort, the Braves could take comfort in the fact health had nothing to do with Toussaint’s rough outing.

Toussaint hit a batter, issued a walk and surrendered two singles before former Triple-A Gwinnett teammate Dustin Peterson tagged him for a three-run homer. After Kody Eaves doubled, the 22-year-old hurler retired each of the next three batters.

“I made some pitches and they hit them,” Toussaint said. “That’s baseball.”

Toussaint appears to be the favorite for what would be the rotation’s fifth spot if Foltynewicz and Gausman are both ready when the regular season begins. Regardless of whether the Braves are at full strength a number of different prospects will likely fill that spot during the regular season. Toussaint, Max Fried, Kyle Wright, Mike Soroka and Bryse Wilson should prepare for the possibility of being shuttled between the Atlanta and Gwinnett rosters.

“That’s the way it works now with extra days of rest and things like that,” Snitker said. “You want to have depth and [optionable] guys to where you can do that. That’s the way it’s done now. It’s the way you do it. It’s pretty much like the way we did it last year.”

Soroka update

Soroka will only fit in this mix once he proves he has recovered from his latest shoulder-related muscle ailment. The right-hander took a step in the right direction when he reported no problems after being cleared to play catch on Thursday. He is at least a week away from being cleared to throw off a mound. So, there’s a chance he won't be available until the middle of April.

Swanson ready to go

As Dansby Swanson prepares to make his Grapefruit League season debut in Friday’s game against the Blue Jays, he’s looking forward to experiencing what it’s like to play healthy again. The Braves shortstop spent all but two weeks of last season dealing with a left wrist ailment that was surgically repaired with the removal of damaged cartilage in November.

“There’s a massive difference, just from the ability to move and have strength and do things,” Swanson said. “I was so limited with everything I was doing, even getting dressed. It’s nice to be just freakin’ fine with all that stuff.”

Swanson hit .357 and produced a .961 OPS over the 59 plate appearances he tallied before starting to feel wrist discomfort during a frigid game at Wrigley Field on April 14. He batted .223 with a .665 OPS over the 474 plate appearances that followed.

Odds and ends

• Nick Markakis made his spring debut as the designated hitter in Thursday’s loss. The veteran outfielder singled in the second inning and grounded out in his final plate appearance in the fourth. He will be used as the DH again Friday and then possibly begin playing the field next week.

• Non-roster invitee Pedro Florimon homered in Thursday’s third inning and saw Peterson rob him of a homer in the fifth. The versatile Florimon has gone 4-for-9 with two homers and a double thus far.

• Austin Riley has gone 3-for-5 since opening the Grapefruit League season by striking out in each of his first five plate appearances.

Up next

The Blue Jays will visit ESPN’s Wide World of Sports complex Friday at 1:05 p.m. ET. Wilson will start in place of Foltynewicz, while the Blue Jays will start Sean Reid-Foley.