Two Sundays ago, Atlanta Braves pitching prospect JR Ritchie had flown home to Seattle for a few days rest. The right-hander deserved it, after a stellar first half at two levels in the minor leagues and then starting the Futures Game at Truist Park, potentially his future office.
Then, when he got off the plane, he got a call from the Braves. Ritchie would start the second part of the season in Triple-A, with the Gwinnett Stripers.
“I had to change my travel schedule a little bit,” Ritchie said with a smile last Saturday, after he had allowed one run in six innings in his Stripers’ debut.