Lets get this out of the way, Daniel Winkler was far from the problem with Atlanta's bullpen. He showed signs of being a very good bullpen option this year with the ability to get strikeouts and keep the team in games during the late innings. His injury was a big blow to the bullpen and was absolutely horrific to see happen (seriously, the pain on his face was terrible to see).
The rest of the bullpen...well....they have had issues. This is particularly true against left-handers where Eric O'Flaherty has looked like a shell of his former self and the team simply hasn't had other options in the majors.
This could change now, though, with the move made today.
#Braves are bringing up LH Hunter Cervenka, will be with team for tonight's series opener in D.C.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienAJC) April 11, 2016
Several of us at Talking Chop have wondered aloud on Twitter as to why Hunter hadn't at least gotten a shot in the bullpen as the lefty specialist and with good reason. Since joining the Braves minor league organization in 2015, he has made 19 appearances.
In those 19 appearances, he has given up a total of 0 earned runs while holding lefties to just 3 hits between this season and last. He has looked particularly filthy this year, in particular with a cutter that seems unhittable for left-handed batters and an improving curve, so its not surprising that he has gotten a chance to prove himself at the major league level.