3 Atlanta Braves playing their way off the roster in spring training
By Tim Boyle
2. Why Braves pitcher Seth Elledge is playing his way off the roster
Seth Elledge signed with the Braves in March of 2022 and never actually got into a big league game at all. He was productive out of the bullpen in Triple-A. In 46.1 innings of work, Elledge was 1-5 with a 3.88 ERA. It wasn’t great. It could have been much uglier.
Elledge does bring a little bit of experience with him. In both of his two cups of coffee with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2020 and 2021, he practically replicated his numbers. Each season includes 11.2 innings and 6 earned runs while facing 52 batters. The 4.63 ERA and 5.8 walks per 9 definitely had Atlanta thinking twice about promoting him in 2022.
This year could be different. A member of their 40-man roster, Elledge is already on the bubble after a poor start to his spring.
In a limited sample size of just 4 innings of work, Elledge allowed 3 earned runs to score. This isn’t enough for the Braves to think about getting rid of him entirely. The 6.75 ERA is more of a reminder of where he fits in on the depth chart.
There was only a small chance Elledge could win a roster spot out of camp. He’ll need to wait for an injury or possibly outperform one of his teammates. It may take a while before we see him representing Atlanta.