Braves rotation battle should be just about over after latest spring training start

The Atlanta Braves entered the spring with a roster as set as any around the league with talent everywhere you turn. They won 107 games last season and might win even more with how their roster looks this season.

While there was little competition for Braves players entering the spring, one spot in particular was worth keeping an eye on. The fifth starter competition was wide open and featured many players.

Bryce Elder, a 2023 All-Star was the presumptive favorite for that final rotation spot entering the spring, but his struggles continued with a bad start on Wednesday. That start could be the final nail in the coffin in Atlanta's fifth starter race.

Rough first inning could cost Bryce Elder in Braves fifth starter battle

Elder got the ball on Wednesday against an Orioles lineup that had some talented players but did not include Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Cedric Mullins, or Austin Hays. Despite that, Elder had a miserable first inning, walking the first three batters he'd face and allowing five runs in total.

He'd settle down from there and keep the Orioles off the board while pitching into the fifth inning, but five runs in 4.1 innings of work is nothing to write home about. After some roster cuts the battle for that fifth rotation spot was seemingly between Elder and Reynaldo Lopez. Elder has an ERA over 8.00 this spring, while Lopez has a sparkling 1.54 ERA in 11.2 innings of work.

Elder was surprisingly great in the first half of last season for Atlanta, making the All-Star team, but his production really tailed off down the stretch. He had a 5.11 ERA in 13 second-half starts and struggled in his lone playoff start as well. This spring was an opportunity for him to show he could pitch like the All-Star that he was, but he's done anything but so far this spring with this latest start just the latest of his four rough outings.

While Elder has struggled, Lopez, a pitcher who had pitched primarily in relief in each of the last three seasons, has been excellent. If the Braves are using Spring Training results to decide the fifth starter competition, it has not been close. Lopez has done far better than Elder. He deserves that spot with how poorly Elder has pitched.