Foltynewicz activated from DL, Evan Phillips optioned back down to Gwinnett

I can only imagine the excitement some of you felt when your clarion calls for Evan Phillips to join the Atlanta Braves’ relief corps were answered yesterday (Sunday) with his promotion to the big league club.

In that same vein, I can only imagine the furor you will react with when you learn that Evan Phillips is the casualty of the Braves’ latest roster shuffle.

Mike Foltynewicz coming off the Disabled List was a foregone conclusion, as the Braves had already announced he would be starting tonight’s series opener against the Reds. Phillips’ optioning back to Triple-A Gwinnett, however, was not the only move the Braves could have made, but nonetheless, it is the one they chose to sally forth with.

Foltynewicz is seeking to continue his fantastic 2018 campaign that has him 18th among all pitchers in fWAR (2.1) coming into tonight’s start. His last poor start was May 4, and he hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any outing aside from that one this season.

Phillips had racked up a wicked 35.2 percent strikeout rate while playing for the Stripers to buttress his solid 2.31 ERA, 2.28 FIP, and 2.69 xFIP. The Braves will presumably recall him at some point this year now that he’s on the 40-man roster, but your guess is as good as ours with regard to when he will first see MLB game action this season.