Low-leverage, long-relief arm: Sean Burke
He has been starting at Triple-A Charlotte since working his way back from a shoulder injury. His numbers are not the greatest there, but keep remembering, Charlotte is not easy to pitch at.
Think of it like Coors Field without the thin air allowing the ball to fly out of the park.
He should have gotten the callup to the bigs instead of Touki Toussaint. He might still be working his way into form, but he is 24 and still a blank slate at the big-league level. Touki is a guy who keeps getting DFA'd or cut out of spring training.
You might be thinking going with all these arms in the minors will deplete Triple-A Charlotte and Double-A Birmingham. Well, those teams' records do not matter.
Development does and this is a great way to get an evaluation of what these young arms can do and provide an introduction to the big leagues. Plus, you can always sign a pitcher like Gus Varland as the club did today to provide organizational depth.
Low leverage, long-relief arm: Chris Flexen
There is no reason for him to start the rest of the season. Instead, a rotation spot should be opened up for Adams, Bush, or giving Nick Nastrini another shot to start in the big leagues.
The book is out on Flexen. He will pitch himself into trouble and then you have to hope like heck he can minimize the damage.
He is still on this roster, so it would make sense to have him throw in the innings that Garrett Crochet does not get through because of his innings limit for the rest of the season. Flexen proved earlier this year he can pitch well out of the pen. This slot still gives him a purpose, otherwise he should be DFA'd.