The Atlanta Braves have made it clear they are rebuilding this season, and they have also made it clear that during that rebuild, Julio Teheran will need to be the team’s ace.
Atlanta has groomed Teheran for the last three years in hopes that he could be the No. 1 pitcher in the rotation. The deal that sent Shelby Miller to the Arizona Diamondbacks in December guaranteed he would get that chance.
The Braves are trusting Teheran to anchor an inexperienced staff while their young pitchers develop. He needs to justify that trust by getting back to his level of play from a couple of years ago.