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Brandon Beachy's Replacement For Wednesday Will Not Be Mike Minor

It's looking like my prediction is terribly wrong. With Brandon Beachy on the shelf for what could be a month due to a "classic oblique strain," most expected the Braves to turn to Mike Minor as a replacement. However, that is not the case.

Everybody kept an eye on Minor's Triple-A start Sunday to determine whether the Braves would cut it short, which would have meant Minor would be the replacement considering Beachy's turn in the rotation is Wednesday. However, Minor went five innings and threw 90 pitches in a 6-5 Gwinnett loss, meaning he will not be called up.

Rodrigo Lopez is out of options and is not on the 40-man roster, and while the Braves have ways around this, he doesn't seem to be an option for them.

So that leaves Julio Teheran, who I previously said would not even be considered. Teheran last pitched Thursday, May 12, and his next scheduled start is Tuesday, May 17, so he would get one extra day of rest if called up to start Wednesday. After throwing 120 pitches in that May 12 game, he could probably use the extra day.

My reasoning for not expecting Teheran to get the call is the fact that Minor is supposed to be the spot starter. He barely lost a starting job in Atlanta and was considered the favorite by many to be the fifth starter. Continually calling up a 20-year-old prospect over Minor has to mean something in regards to Minor's future with this team.

Of course, nothing is certain yet, and Fredi Gonzalez said it would be known on Monday who the starter will be. But we do know it's not Minor, and that itself is news.

Photographs by coka_koehler used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.