Hurston Waldrep News: Could begin season in minors

Waldrep could begin the season at Triple-A Gwinnett, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

Waldrep seemingly did enough last season to be locked into Atlanta's rotation, posting a 2.88 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 55:22 K:BB over 56.1 innings covering nine starts and one extended relief outing. However, several other of the team's rotation candidates cannot be optioned to the minors, while Waldrep can, so the 23-year-old could be a roster casualty as Atlanta seeks to retain depth. Bowman writes that while Waldrep might wind up being the most valuable of the current fifth-starter candidates by the end of the season, if he becomes a "lasting part" of the rotation early on, "then something disastrous will have already happened." Atlanta has Chris Sale and Spencer Strider locked into rotation spots, with Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow), Reynaldo Lopez (shoulder) and Grant Holmes (elbow) expected to fill the other slots, if healthy. Bryce Elder, Joey Wentz, Martin Perez (shoulder) and Waldrep are among the club's depth starters, and Waldrep is the only one in the group that has minor-league options remaining. Atlanta also remains in the market for additional rotation help, which could push Waldrep farther down the pecking order.