The wheels went off the tracks quickly for the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, falling behind early and losing 18-2 to the Seattle Mariners.
While Joey Wentz was a logical option to take over for Spencer Strider when switching up the rotation, his recent woes popped up again. He allowed a season-high eight runs and was out of the game in the third inning.
Given that the matchup was Seattle, it could have been a fitting time to have given another prospect a try: JR Ritchie.
This isn’t to say Joey Wentz was a wrong choice. Again, he was a logical option. But if Strider is already going to have his start pushed back, there is a golden opportunity to have an audition for 2026.
The Seattle native pitched his fourth scoreless outing in five starts up an hour away against the Durham Bulls as the Mariners’ onslaught unfolded. He gave the Stripers six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out four.
He was perfectly lined up schedule-wise to get a shot, and, perhaps, a chance to go up against his hometown team would have provided some extra motivation.
Would this success have translated to an All-Star lineup? Likely not, but it couldn’t have gone much worse than what actually happened.
There is an understandable hesitance to give a prospect a try. For every Hurston Waldrep, there has been a Didier Fuentes. Both have promise, but there isn’t a guarantee that a prospect is ready for action.
Waldrep stood tall against tough lineups this season, while Fuentes had trouble against some subpar lineups. It’s a mystery box until the track record is established.
Ritchie is definitely somewhere in between where Waldrep and Fuentes were when the two each got their call-ups. But there is a case that Ritichie is closer to Waldrep than Fuentes.
He’s built a solid resume already in Triple-A, whereas Fuentes got the call after a single start. He has nine starts under his belt with the Stripers, the most he’s had at any level so far this season.
One more start, and he will have had more starts with the Stripers than with any other affiliate in the Braves system. Ritchie has also received an accolade for his efforts, earning the International League Pitcher of the Week honor to end the month of August.
Early on in his time with the Stripers, the decision to wait until next season would have been easy. However, the adjustments are coming quickly; much quicker than they did in Double-A. His first scoreless appearance with Columbus came in his eighth and final start at that level.
He had a scoreless night in his second Triple-A start and now has five wins to his name. The number of baserunners he allows is still a work in progress, but he’s winning the battles.
Another argument is that the Braves have been trying more prospects recently. Rolddy Muñoz and fellow Futures Game teammate Hayden Harris have been given shots in the bullpen, with Harris still in the Majors as of Monday.
Here’s a chance to reunite Ritchie and Harris once again, this time at the highest level of the game.
There could still be opportunities to get him action in the Majors before the season ends if the Braves choose to call upon him. However, a clear one was already missed.
