Darius

Vines

It’s a bit surprising there wasn’t some interest out there in Vines since he’s proven to be a capable emergency stopgap at the highest level for Atlanta. The 26-year-old righty, who has made nine appearances (four starts) at the highest level over the past two years, will remain with the Braves as extra organizational pitching depth.

Vines is lacking in velocity, but he has a great idea what he’s doing on the mound, and we imagine someone will pick up in a trade prior to Tuesday’s deadline. The 26-year-old has a 5.45 ERA in four starts and four relief appearances for the Braves since debuting last year.

Herget has been up and down between the minors and MLB a few times this season. The Braves needed length out of the bullpen with so many starting pitchers hurt, so they recalled Darius Vines, who will take Herget’s spot on the roster. Herget should get another shot in the bullpen later this summer.

Vines could be used for multiple innings on Monday after starter Grant Holmes or he could also help out in a bulk role after Tuesday’s starter, who is still undecided. Vines has struggled with a 5.14 ERA in 77 innings over 14 starts in Triple-A, so he remains off the fantasy radar. The Braves optioned LHP Jimmy Herget to the minors in a corresponding move.

Vines took it on the chin for the Braves on Friday night, giving up six runs on six hits over three innings of work to spare an overworked bullpen. The club will make a corresponding move to add another reliever to the roster prior to Saturday’s battle against the Pirates.

Vines will be available out of the pen tonight, and he could start Thursday or Friday. The right-hander made two starts for Atlanta last month, giving up five runs in 9 2/3 innings while going 0-1. He had a 4.58 ERA in six starts for Gwinnett.

Vines was shipped back to the minors on Monday after allowing four runs over five innings on Sunday in a spot start against the Rangers. The 25-year-old righty figures to be part of Atlanta’s pitching mix over the rest of the season with the occasional fill-in start as needed.

The 25-eyar-old right-hander struck out a pair of batters in the ballgame and didn’t issue a walk. All of the damage done against him came via the long ball, with Evan Carter blasting a solo homer and Andrew Knizner crushing a three-run shot in the fourth inning. Aside from those two mistakes, he was actually quite good. Vines got six swings and misses on 74 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 23 percent. He’ll carry a 4.66 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and a 6/3 K/BB ratio (9 2/3 innings) into Saturday’s showdown against the Guardians.

Unfortunately for Vines, he came an out away from qualifying for a victory. The right-hander allowed an RBI single in the first to Alex Bregman, and while he did have some self-inflicted damage, he was able to keep Houston off the board in a solid outing. If Vines starts again, it’ll likely come Sunday against Texas.

The 25-year-old right-hander was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday, but didn’t pitch out of the bullpen over the weekend. Prior to his promotion, Vines made two starts at Triple-A where he registered a 3.75 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and an 11/3 K/BB ratio across 12 innings of work. He’s worth a look as a streaming option in deeper mixed leagues if he happens to be in the player pool.