Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Monday that Elder will temporarily move to the bullpen, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
With Reynaldo Lopez (knee) returning from the 15-day injured list to start Wednesday against the Rays, Atlanta will shift Elder to the bullpen to keep its six-man rotation intact. While Elder has turned in a serviceable 4.11 ERA over 26 starts on the season, he's been tagged for 16 runs on 30 hits -- including five home runs -- and seven walks over his last four outings. Per Mark Bowman of MLB.com, Weiss noted that Elder has been managing a knee issue of late, so the short-term move to the bullpen will lighten his workload and limit the strain on his body. The skipper added that Elder could make a start during Atlanta's three-game road series versus the Cubs next week, though it's unclear who would come out of the rotation to open up a spot for the right-hander.