Braves Disable Saito; Recall Kimbrel

The Atlanta Braves placed reliever Takashi Saito on the disabled list today with a left hamstring injury he suffered in last night's game, and recalled reliever Craig Kimbrel from triple-A Gwinnett. Saito has been solid for Atlanta in the setup role this year, but there have been concerns by many about the 40-year old reliever.

The recall of Kimbrel is an interesting move, as it was thought that he was sent down several weeks ago to work on his slide step and his control, and as the last man in the bullpen he wasn't getting used that much. Something that could hinder his development as a possible future closer for Atlanta.

Kimbrel has done a good job of controlling the walks in triple-A, issuing just 5 bases on balls in the last 14.2 innings pitched while striking out 21 and holding opponents to a .137 batting average over that span.

I wonder what the Braves are waiting for with regards to Chris Resop. They must call him up to the majors by June 15th or else risk losing a pitcher to free agency with a 2.03 ERA and a .204 batting average against at triple-A. Perhaps they're waiting to make a more deliberate move, or perhaps they have bigger plans for Resop (I still can't imagine them putting him in the rotation). They could be keeping him at triple-A in order to inflate his stats and keep his trade value high. Though I can't really see them dealing Resop away to too many other contenders.