The Braves announced that left-hander A.J. Minter has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to left hip inflammation, with fellow lefty Dylan Lee being recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to take his place.
It’s uncertain how severe Minter’s injury is or how long he might be out, but it’s worth noting that this is his second stint on the IL for the same issue this year. He was previously sidelined with left hip inflammation on May 31, missing just over a month before returning on July 1. According to Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Minter is still being evaluated, and it’s unclear if he’ll be able to return this season.
Despite dealing with the hip issue, Minter has performed well when healthy, posting a 2.62 ERA over 34 1/3 innings. His strikeout rate of 26.1% is slightly lower than in the past two seasons, but he’s been inducing more ground balls.
However, there may be some good fortune in his ERA, as his .222 batting average on balls in play and 94.2% strand rate are on the lucky side. His home run per fly ball ratio is 16.7%, nearly double what it was in the previous two seasons. While his FIP stands at 4.46—considerably higher than his ERA—a metric like SIERA, which adjusts for home run rates, puts him at 3.39, closer to last year’s 3.06 SIERA but still higher than his current ERA.
The #Braves today recalled LHP Dylan Lee to Atlanta and placed LHP A.J. Minter on the 15-day injured list with left hip inflammation.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 12, 2024
Regardless of how one views Minter’s stats this year, his absence is a setback for the Atlanta bullpen. The Braves’ relievers have a collective 3.38 ERA this season, ranking third behind only the Guardians and Brewers. However, with the team now sitting at 61-56 and barely holding onto the final National League Wild Card spot, even small differences could have a big impact. The Mets are just half a game behind, and several other teams are close as well.
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Manager Brian Snitker has relied on Minter in crucial situations, with Minter ranking second on the team in holds behind Joe Jiménez and third in average leverage index behind Jiménez and closer Raisel Iglesias. Losing Minter will make it more difficult for Snitker to manage tight games. While Lee has posted a strong 2.00 ERA in 45 innings this year, most of his work has come in lower-leverage situations.
This could also be a significant setback for Minter personally, as he’s set to become a free agent. He has a solid career record with a 3.28 ERA across 384 appearances, a 29.3% strikeout rate, an 8.6% walk rate, and a 39.9% ground ball rate. However, with this being his second IL stint of the year, another extended absence could affect his contract prospects in the offseason. Minter will turn 31 on September 2.
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