Transaction: Atlanta Braves option Darius Vines to Gwinnett, recall reliever Ben Heller

Heller, 32, was acquired from Tampa Bay in early June and was optioned to AAA in early August after appearing in 16 games with a 4.40 ERA. Most commonly used in low and medium leverage situations, he pitched pretty well, for the most part, with the exception of an early blow-up and his final outing against Milwaukee. But he was the victim of the lack of options in Atlanta's bullpen, as he was the only player other than setup man AJ Minter that could be optioned to AAA Gwinnett.  

The corresponding move for Atlanta was to send RHP Darius Vines to Gwinnett. Vines, 25, made his MLB debut against the Colorado Rockies and picked up his first career victory, pitching six innings with four hits, two runs, and one walk to five strikeouts in an eventual 7-3 Braves victory. His not immediately being optioned to AAA after the game indicated that he could be in line for another major league start on Tuesday at home against St. Louis, but Atlanta will have to find another starter for the start of the series. 

The move for another reliever was required due to Atlanta's bullpen usage recently, with every bullpen option other than Brad Hand and AJ Minter having thrown over twenty pitches in the last three days. 

UPDATE: Vines, a California native, was given a few days on the active roster during the Dodgers series so that he could visit and see his family in California before returning to Gwinnett, per David O'Brien of The Athletic.