The Braves announced today that the left-hander AJ Minter was placed on the 15-day injured list due to left hip inflammation. Danielle was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding move.
At this point, it’s unclear how serious Minter’s injury is or how long the club expects him to be out, but it’s perhaps notable that this is his second IL stint this year due to this issue. He landed on the IL on May 31 due to left hip inflammation and missed just over a month before being reinstated on July 1. According to Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Minter’s current condition is still under investigation and the club is unsure if he will be able to return this season.
Despite the hip issue, he’s been able to produce well on the mound, throwing 34 1/3 innings with 2.62 earned runs allowed per nine innings. His strikeout rate of 26.1% is a few ticks lower than the rate he’s had the past two seasons, but he’s also getting more ground balls.
There may be some luck involved in that ERA, as he has a .222 batting average with balls in play and a 94.2% strand rate, both of which are fairly positive. But his home run ratio of 16.7% per fly ball is basically double what it was in the previous two seasons. FIP gives a pitcher blame/credit for home runs, so Minter is at 4.46 on that metric this year, which is much worse than his ERA. But a metric like SIERA, which normalizes home run ratio, is more forgiving, putting Minter at 3.39. That’s still a noticeable gap from his ERA, but it’s not far off from the 3.06 SIERA he had last year.
Regardless of what you think of Minter’s stats this year, it’s a tough development for Atlanta’s bullpen. The relief corps should be in good shape even without him, as the club’s relief pitchers have a combined 3.38 ERA this year, trailing only the Guardians and Brewers. But they’re at a point now where incremental differences could play a big role. Their recent losing streak has dropped them to 61-56, leaving them just barely clinging to the National League’s final wild card spot, with the Mets just a half-game behind and several other teams within striking distance.
Coach Brian Snitker has used Minter in key situations. Minter is the second best on the team in holds behind Joe Jimenez and its average leverage index ranks third behind Jiménez and closer Raisel Iglesias. Without Minter, it will be harder for Snitker to get through the final stages of close games. Lee has put up strong numbers this year, with a 2.00 ERA in 45 innings, but mostly in less demanding situations.
It could also be a difficult development for Minter himself, as he is soon to be a free agent. He has a strong career record, with a 3.28 ERA in his 384 plate appearances with a 29.3% strikeout rate, 8.6% walk rate and 39.9% ground ball rate. But he has already spent over a month on the injured list once this year, and another extended absence could affect his offseason contract offers. He will turn 31 on September 2.
