3 Atlanta Braves players who won’t be on the roster by May 1

Braves rumors: Jared Shuster sent down to the minors

Oh, this is a huge bummer.

Jared Shuster’s first start couldn’t have gone much worse, but unless the Braves rookie throws a no-no between now and the end of the month, his time in the majors could be cut short.

Eventually, Alex Anthopoulos and Co. expect big things out of Shuster. Heck, they took him in the first round of the MLB Draft for a reason, but his first start suggested he’s a step slow for MLB hitters.

“After the first inning, it was great that he went into the fifth,” Brian Snitker said, per The Athletic. “He was probably a hitter away from getting taken out in the first, and then to not blow the bullpen up and kind of right himself and do that – I told him when he came out, ‘You can breathe now.’”

Shuster himself credited nerves for his subpar debut, which was all the more unfortunate given his strong spring training.

“I was, I think, excited to get out there,” Shuster said. “(Butterflies) were definitely there. But overall I felt good out there. Just got to make some better pitches.”

Atlanta has reinforcements in the minor leagues if they need them. Bryce Elder, Ian Anderson and Dylan Dodd are all capable pitchers. Kyle Wright should come off the injured list by the end of the month, if the Braves are lucky. Max Fried’s ailment should heal by then as well.

Eventually, this rotation could become too large for Shuster. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing for Atlanta.