Atlanta is expected to call up Elder from Triple-A Gwinnett to start Tuesday's home game against the Nationals, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Tucker Davidson was initially in line to start Tuesday, but he won't be available after covering 2.2 innings out of the bullpen in Monday's 11-2 loss in the series opener. Though Opening Day starter Max Fried would be available to take the hill on his normal four days' rest, manager Brian Snitker said after Monday's contest that the southpaw wasn't an option, according to Bowman. With Atlanta seemingly committed to using a six-man rotation to begin the season, Elder, one of the organization's top pitching prospects, will step in to fill the void. The 22-year-old righty won't be guaranteed any starts beyond Tuesday, but if he pitches well in his MLB debut, it's possible that Atlanta considers keeping him in the fold as the sixth starter ahead of Davidson, who was hit hard in relief Monday. Across stops at High-A Rome, Double-A Mississippi and Gwinnett in 2021, Elder posted a 2.75 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 155:57 K:BB over 137.2 innings.