With Spring Training well underway and Opening Day just two weeks away, the Atlanta Braves made a move on Tuesday that no one would have expected only two weeks ago: they sent both Ian Anderson and Bryce Elder down to Triple-A camp.
This was not without reason, however, as top prospect Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd have pitched much better than Anderson and Elder, and it has not been particularly close.
Shuster has only given up one run in 8 2/3 innings while striking out nine. Dodd has piled up 11 strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings while only allowing five hits.
While it's not likely that the rotation that starts the season will finish it, Andy Bunker and Randy McMichael caught up with 92.9 The Game Braves insider Grant McAuley on Wednesday, and Grant says that it is very much still an open competition for the fifth starter spot.