Atlanta Braves next victim in starting rotation roulette took a step forward

The Atlanta Braves have tried and failed -- at least so far -- to find a capable No. 5 starting pitcher within the organization. Many of their top prospects like Hurston Waldrep or AJ Smith-Shawver were either rushed to the majors or injured. Waldrep specifically needs more time in the minor leagues to refine his secondary pitches.

The next stopgap in the Braves farm could be a former NL Rookie of the Year candidate -- thankfully not Bryce Elder -- who's taken the long road back to the show.

Ian Anderson made his latest rehab start and it went relatively well. Anderson underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023. In his recent rehab outings, Anderson has accumulated five innings and allowed one earned run with seven strikeouts. His next chance will come with the Augusta Greenjackets.

When could Ian Anderson make his Atlanta Braves season debut?

Anderson is expected to make his Braves season debut sometime after the All-Star Break. As impressive as he has been during his rehab starts, Anderson is still multiple levels away from the majors and hasn't faced big-league pitching in years.

The former Braves first-round pick excelled for the team which selected him in 2020 and 2021, but struggled in 2022 pitching to a 5.00 ERA despite an impressive win-loss record. Anderson revealed in spring training that some of his issues that year may have come as a result of trying to pitch through a major elbow issue.

“Me being the competitor that I am, I thought I could pitch through it,” Anderson said, per The Athletic. “I thought I was still good enough to compete and earn a spot. And then once things kind of unfolded the way they did, I felt like it was probably time to bring it up and say something.”

As it turns out, Anderson was not good enough. He eventually received the injury diagnosis every starting pitcher fears, and underwent a 14-16 month recovery for Tommy John surgery.

The Braves hope Anderson can return to form, but he cannot be their long-term plan at the back end of the starting rotation. No, that answer ought to come at the trade deadline, where Alex Anthopoulos does his best work.