ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves gave struggling pitcher Mark Redman his unconditional release on Tuesday and resumed the search for a fifth starter.
Former No. 1 pick Joey Devine was called up from Double-A Mississippi.
Redman, an All-Star with Kansas City in 2006, signed with Atlanta during spring training after Mike Hampton went down with an injury.
But Redman never got untracked for the Braves. In six appearances, including five starts, Redman went 0-4 with an 11.63 ERA and gave up a staggering 38 hits in 21 2-3 innings.
The left-hander went on the disabled list this month for surgery to remove an ingrown toenail. He returned to make his last appearance Saturday, giving up a grand slam to Boston's Mike Lowell in his first relief outing of the season.
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"I still wanted to give him one more shot," manager Bobby Cox said. "I thought it was only fair."
After Redman went on the disabled list, the Braves called up Anthony Lerew to fill the fifth spot in the rotation. The rookie had an impressive debut, then struggled in his last two outings before going on the 15-day DL over the weekend with inflamed nerves in his right forearm.
Devine, the Braves' top pick in the 2005 draft, is best known for giving up an 18th-inning homer to Chris Burke in the opening round of the playoffs that season. The homer ended the longest postseason game in history and sent Houston to the NL championship series.
Devine has struggled with his control during his previous stints with the Braves. But the right-hander will at least provide an extra arm in the bullpen through Saturday, when the Braves must come up with another starter.
The budget-conscious Braves have already cut two free agents who were signed before the season to fill out their roster.
Outfielder Craig Wilson, who got a $2 million, one-year deal, was released last week after batting .172 in his brief stint with Atlanta. Redman signed a $750,000 contract and didn't last much longer.
The Associated Press