Braves Should Consider Moving Kevin Gausman to the Bullpen

Atlanta Braves right-handed starter Kevin Gausman is coming off maybe the single worst start of his career, allowing eight runs on eight hits in just one inning of work against the lowly Washington Nationals.

It was an embarrassing performance on his part, and while Gausman and the team can chalk it up as "one of those starts" that just happen, the Braves might need to do something drastic to best utilize his stuff.

I'm not being a prisoner of the moment here, but the Braves need to consider moving Gausman to the bullpen and make him a late-inning reliever. Why? Not only has he been inconsistent as a starter the bulk of his career, but he doesn't have a third pitch, which is vital for a starting pitcher.

According to FanGraphs, 96.5% of Gausman's pitches are either a fastball or splitter. If he doesn't have command of both of those pitches, it's a lot easier to tee off on him, and you saw Wednesday what happens when he's dealing with faulty command.

Yes, we've seen Gausman be lights out and look like a top-of-the-rotation starter, which the Braves could certainly use. But we've also seen the former first round pick get hit around hard, and a lot of that is because he doesn't have an extensive repertoire that keeps the hitters guessing.

Atlanta has already moved Sean Newcomb to the bullpen, and he's been great as a back-inning option. Why not do that with Gausman? The Braves still need bullpen help, and it's not like they don't have other rotation options.

Oh, and it opens up a spot for free agent starter Dallas Keuchel or any other pitcher the Braves have their eyes on via trade, or even one of the plethora of young arms they have waiting in the minor leagues.

Gausman is not some young starter that hasn't been given a chance. He has 148 career starts under his belt, and it seems like we know what kind of starter he is. Change his role and see what happens. You might find that you have an elite reliever on your hands.