Keuchel: No timetable for 1st Braves start, but it won't 'be long at all'

The Atlanta Braves won't have to wait long to add Dallas Keuchel to their big-league rotation, at least according to the left-hander himself.

After the Braves officially announced a one-year contract with the southpaw on Friday, Keuchel discussed when he hopes to make his first start for Atlanta.

"I'm built up to go five or six at least," Keuchel said, according to 680 The Fan. "There's really no concrete timetable, it's more of touch-and-go basis. I would expect myself, just knowing how I operate and how I do things, it wouldn't be long at all."

The 2015 American League Cy Young winner will start his Braves tenure with Atlanta's Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett, Ga. He'll make two minor-league starts before he's activated, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman.

As part of his contract with the Braves, Keuchel agreed to be optioned on June 8 and recalled no later than June 18, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. If the hurler gets injured in the minors, he'll be recalled and placed on the major-league IL.

Keuchel mentioned he's been throwing simulated games to stay in shape, and that he's pitched seven innings - 105 pitches - every fifth day.

"It was pushing my body to get up, get taxed," the 31-year-old said, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Gabe Burns, who adds the Braves were a team that Keuchel "pinpointed" during the offseason.

Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said there's still uncertainty regarding whose spot Keuchel will take in Atlanta's rotation, according to 680 The Fan.