While it still isn’t official, Braves manager Brian Snitker confirmed on Saturday afternoon that top prospect Touki Toussaint is lined up to start one of Monday’s doubleheader games against the Marlins.
The other option to start on Monday, Kolby Allard, was called up to the big league club on Saturday but is apparently going to serve as a long-man in the bullpen for the weekend before presumably being sent down for Toussaint.
Toussaint, who just turned 22, was acquired from the Diamondbacks in June 2015 in exchange for Bronson Arroyo’s contract, a move that dumbfounded baseball writers everywhere. While he always possessed the stuff to be a big leaguer, he often struggled with command and consistency in the lower levels of the minors.
Touki has turned a corner since moving to Double-A last summer, posting a 3.01 ERA across 23 starts with an absurd 151 strikeouts over 126 innings. His strong effort this year brought on a promotion to Triple-A, where he’s been even better to the tune of a 2.01 ERA through five starts with strong strikeout and walk rates.
Monday should be a lot of fun.