With baseball season back, and transactions and other baseball related decisions ramping up around the league, many roster related moves will be made in due time. While some of these will hopefully be positive, the Braves announced a less than ideal roster move on Friday.
The #Braves today placed RHP Jeremy Walker on the 45-day injured list with a right shoulder impingement.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 26, 2020
Right-handed reliever Jeremy Walker was placed on the 45-day injured list on Friday with a right shoulder impingement. Though the news is certainly a negative turn of events, it is not entirely unexpected, as Walker first suffered the injury back in March during Spring Training. It seems logical to assume this was simply a formality as Walker works his way back to health, and also could be a strong indication that Walker will be unavailable for the 2020 season.
While this move may have been expected, losing a talented, young reliever in Walker is noteworthy. Though the Braves’ pitching depth is certainly a strength, the uncertainty of this season makes depth more important than ever. Walker was one of the more positive stories on the Braves farm in 2019, graduating from Double-A to the Majors due to consistent and excellent production. In 9 1⁄3 innings in Atlanta, Walker produced a 1.93 ERA and 3.21 FIP. While the Braves would obviously prefer for him to be available, Atlanta is making the right decision in letting him take the needed time to fully recover and get back to form as soon as possible.