Dylan Lee has been lights out in his three rehab appearances to this point, tossing three scoreless innings in which he has allowed just one baserunner, which came from a walk. However, according to Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal Constitution, his return to the major-league club doesn’t appear to be something that is going to happen right away.
Dylan Lee's return does not seem imminent. It might be a while. The Braves are trying to build him up to pitch multiple innings, pitch back-to-back games, etc. He is allowed be on a rehab assignment for 30 days, and that 30-day maximum would take him into September.
— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) August 12, 2023
This makes some sense for a couple of reasons. The Braves don’t currently have any relievers that can be optioned, so when Dylan Lee does come back, someone will either have to be placed on the IL or designated for assignment. Right now, they might not want to do that, especially with an 11-game lead in the division. They have some time to figure things out before rushing Lee back.
On another note, the club might also want to experiment with Dylan Lee as a multi-inning reliever. With the rotation struggling the way they are, Lee could prove valuable as a guy who can open games or give the team some length out of the bullpen, a role he’s handled well in previous years. That means ramping up his workload, which hasn’t happened to this point during his rehab assignment. Look for Lee to start pitching multiple innings on the farm in the coming weeks, which likely means we won’t see him in Atlanta until the end of the month, unless something changes.
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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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