Injuries have started knocking on the Atlanta Braves’ door.
They won’t have their star closer to open the 2023 MLB season.
“Raisel Iglesias has a low-grade shoulder inflammation. He’ll start the year on the injured list. He won’t throw for the next seven days,” Braves insider Mark Bowman tweeted.
Raisel Iglesias has a low-grade shoulder inflammation. He’ll start the year on the injured list. He won’t throw for the next seven days
—Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) March 23, 2023
It’s not the first time in Iglesias’ career that he has suffered from shoulder issues.
In this case, however, the team expects him to be fine with a few days of rest.
It has really been a rough month for NL East closers: Edwin Diaz, the main ninth-inning man for the New York Mets, will miss the entire season after undergoing knee surgery.
The Braves hope that’s not the case with Iglesias, though.
They are expected to give left-hander AJ Minter and right-hander Joe Jimenez the first crack at ninth-inning duties while Iglesias is gone.
Both are perfectly capable of holding down the fort while Iglesias is on the shelf.
Iglesias started the 2022 campaign with the Los Angeles Angels, but he struggled a bit and posted a 4.04 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP.
Those numbers, for an elite closer like Iglesias, are a tad high.
But the Braves saw the same consistently dominant pitcher he has been during his entire career and traded for him.
They were rewarded for their faith, as he posted a 0.34 ERA in 26.1 frames in Atlanta.
For the year, his ERA stood at 2.47.
Iglesias will try to return to that dominant level upon returning from his shoulder scare, but the Braves need to be patient and let him regain his normal strength and speed.
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Matt Olson Is Living Up The Hype In Atlanta
