Jhancarlos Lara News: Shifted to bullpen

Lara made his debut for Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday, working a scoreless inning of relief with one walk and one strikeout.

Atlanta kept the flame-throwing right-hander in the rotation at Double-A Columbus to begin the season, but an 11.21 ERA and 19 walks in 17.2 innings may have finally settled the question of whether Lara would be better suited to the bullpen. Per Gwinnett broadcaster Dave Lezotte, Lara topped out at 101.1 miles per hour with his fastball in his Triple-A debut -- the fastest pitch thrown by a Gwinnett pitcher since velocity readings became available in 2023. On the other hand, only five of his 11 pitches found the strike zone, so the shift to a relief role hasn't solved his control issues. If Lara can harness his stuff a little better, he could be a high-leverage option for the big-league bullpen later this season given his dominant fastball/slider combination.