Dallas Keuchel May Only Make 1 More Minor League Start Before Discussing Braves Return

The Atlanta Braves signed veteran southpaw Dallas Keuchel less than a week ago, and after his scheduled start for Triple-A on Saturday was scratched due to weather, he made his 2019 debut for their Single-A Rome team on Monday.

And, boy, did he not disappoint.

Keuchel tossed seven scoreless inning and allowed just one hit and one walk to go along with nine strikeouts. The 31-year-old threw 77 pitches Monday night, 55 of which went for strikes.

Guasman struggles, Keuchel shines, Ozzie homers twice and Acuña slams Pirates. Plus a Markakis milestone and Freddie being Freddie.https://t.co/0XrSe5Qw92
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) June 11, 2019

So, when will Keuchel make his major league debut with Atlanta? According to Braves manager Brian Snitker, he'll likely make two more minor league starts before being called up. Of course, if he has a repeat performance, he might only need one.

“He’ll probably make one more [start],” Snitker said. “Then, we’ll talk to him and see where he’s at. He’s been working out and he has his pitches up.”

Keuchel passed his first test with ease and will now likely make at least one more Minor League start https://t.co/rZoIMx2MoQ
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) June 11, 2019

With the continued struggles of right-handed starter Kevin Gausman, who lasted just 2.1 innings on Monday, fans will certainly be clamoring for Keuchel to get called up ahead of Saturday's start. However, since he was just sent down, he can't come up unless someone is going on the injured list.

If Keuchel continues to look this good, it's not out of the question to see the former AL Cy Young Award winner in a Braves uniform at some point next week.