If the Atlanta Braves’ woes with their starting pitching weren’t bad enough, Bryce Elder made them that much worse on Friday night.

Leading to an eventual 13-0 drubbing at the hand of the rival Philadelphia Phillies, Elder was run off the mound after just two innings, giving up 10 runs (nine earned) on eight hits and four walks while giving up four home runs as well.

His ERA now sits at 5.82, his WHIP at 1.47, and that is his fourth straight start giving up at least four earned runs. Put simply, he can’t be in this rotation for much longer.

The biggest issue, of course, is that the Braves are running out of options for the rotation.

Chris Sale is on the IL with a rib injury, Reynaldo Lopez is still a way out from his return to the mound, AJ Smith-Shawver has undergone Tommy John surgery, 20-year-old Didier Fuentes has already been called up (and has struggled), and top prospect Hurston Waldrep has been battling walks and underperformance mightily in Triple-A.

That doesn’t leave Atlanta with many places to turn.

However, as Braves fans are all but fed up with Elder far too often giving his team no chance to win when he starts, it’s hard to argue that three lesser-known players in the organization aren’t more deserving of a spot in the rotation than the right-hander at this point.

3. Jackson Stephens could be a long opener for the Braves

Braves fans are familiar with veteran Jackson Stephens as he’s made 47 appearances with Atlanta over the last three seasons.

Now, after being activated from the Development List on June 20 by the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers, he’s starting to look quite attractive as an option, even if that’s not the most natural route for Atlanta to turn to.

Stephens has little-to-no track record as a starter at the major-league level.

Over 83 career appearances in five seasons combined between the Braves and Reds, he’s made only five starts (just one came with Atlanta). Having said that, after 14 relief appearances to start his year in the minors, he’s now started in his last two appearances — and it’s gone beautifully.

Stephens has gone four and five innings, respectively, in his starts, giving up just one hit and three walks while allowing no runs in either.

Because of the general lack of experience as a starter, Stephens could be conceived as a long-relief opener for the Braves, but that’s currently a better option than Elder based on what the veteran has put on display to this point in the minors.

2. Zach Thompson’s track record is enough to warrant a chance

We got a brief look at 31-year-old Zach Thompson in Atlanta earlier this season when he made two appearances out of the bullpen for the Braves in mid-April. That actually went quite well, as he allowed just one base-runner, which came on a walk, over 3.2 total innings.

He also struck out three over that span as well.

In Gwinnett this year, though, Thompson has been used as a starter more recently, perhaps paving the way for a call-up into the Braves rotation.

Thompson has made three starts so far in June.

While his longest outing in that is just 3.2 innings, his first two starts of the month resulted in just three runs (only one earned) on three hits and two walks. Unfortunately, his last start on June 12 was a bad one, giving up five runs on three hits and an abysmal five walks.

Having said that, of the minimal options that Atlanta is currently looking at if they choose to get Elder out of the rotation, Thompson has the most experience as a starter in the major.

In 2021 and 2022 with the Marlins and Pirates, respectively (also the last time he saw the majors prior to earlier this season), he made 36 starts. That resulted in a 3.24 ERA in Miami but a not as promising 5.18 ERA in 2022.

Even still, the Braves aren’t looking at a bevy of great options available to them right now, and the experience of Thompson could be something valuable enough to give him the nod. At worst, he hasn’t blown up on the mound for Atlanta this season, something Elder can’t say.

1. Nathan Wiles has earned another shot in Atlanta

The one taste that Braves fans got of Nathan Wiles this season wasn’t one that will get anyone excited for his return, particularly with the expectation of being inserted into the rotation.

He came up for just one game, appearing on April 22 out of the bullpen against the Cardinals, and it was an outright disaster. While he did last a full inning, he gave up four hits and allowed three earned runs in that, giving him an eyesore 27.00 ERA on the year before he was optioned back to Triple-A.

In Gwinnett, however, he’s been by far the most consistent starter in their rotation. Over 14 starts, the 3-7 win-loss record doesn’t do his performance justice.

He’s pitched 76 innings with a 3.08 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. Furthermore, he’s struck out 74 batters with only 22 walks for the Stripers.

Furthermore, unlike Stephens and Thompson, he offers the potential for length as a starter, having just one start since the start of May of under 5.0 innings.

While the MLB debut for the 26-year-old was certainly one to forget, his overall body of work in the minors this season suggests that he’s fully deserving of another chance.

At least until Sale returns, he might very well be the best stopgap option that the Braves have at their disposal, especially with the team not currently in a position to really make an aggressive early trade for another arm.