Braves Re-Sign Carlos Carrasco, Select Him To Active Roster
TODAY: The Braves announced that Carrasco has been selected to the 26-man roster, so Carrasco must have quickly re-signed a new minor league deal after his brief stint in free agency. Right-hander Anthony Molina was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding 26-man roster move, and Atlanta will fit Carrasco into one of two open slots on their 40-man roster.
MAY 1: Carlos Carrasco elected free agency after clearing outright waivers, according to the MLB.com transaction log. The Braves designated him for assignment on Thursday when Dylan Lee returned from the paternity list.
There’s a decent chance this is a procedural move and Carrasco will re-sign with Atlanta on a new minor league contract. Initially acquired from the Yankees last July in a cash trade, Carrasco has subsequently signed a pair of minor league deals. He finished last year at Triple-A Gwinnett and quickly re-signed once the offseason began.
Carrasco pitched well in his first four turns through the Triple-A rotation this year. He owns a 1.71 ERA with a solid 20.7% strikeout percentage and tidy 6% walk rate over 21 innings. Carrasco tossed a perfect inning with a strikeout of CJ Abrams in his lone MLB appearance this season.
The 39-year-old righty doesn’t have huge stuff at this stage of his career. His fastball sits around 92 mph and he has leaned more heavily on his slider and changeup to fool Triple-A hitters. He owns a 6.33 ERA at the major league level since the start of 2023.
Braves Designate José Suarez, Joel Payamps For Assignment
The Braves have designated relievers José Suarez and Joel Payamps for assignment, per a club announcement. Right-hander Hunter Stratton has been recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett, and fellow righty Anthony Molina has had his contract selected from Gwinnett as well.
Suarez has been with Atlanta in each of the past two seasons and has totaled 35 2/3 innings of 4.04 ERA ball. The 28-year-old has been tagged for a 6.61 ERA in this season’s 16 1/3 frames, however, and is out of minor league options. Suarez has piled up strikeouts at career-high levels in 2026 (26.6% strikeout rate, backed by a sharp 12.8% swinging-strike rate), but his already wobbly command has deteriorated even further; he’s walked 15.2% of his opponents this season.
Back in 2021-22, Suarez looked to be emerging as a quality fourth starter in Anaheim. He gave the Halos 207 1/3 innings with a 3.86 ERA with a slightly below-average strikeout rate but a walk rate that was a bit better than average. The wheels came off in 2023, due in no small part to a shoulder strain that sent him to the injured list for several months. He posted an 8.29 ERA in 33 2/3 innings that season and was only marginally better in 52 1/3 frames the following season (6.02 ERA).
Suarez has experience working both as a reliever and a starter. He’s making just $900K this season, so a team in need of some left-handed depth or a swingman to provide long relief could have some interest — if said club can look past this year’s ugly walk rate. Metrics like SIERA (4.12) and xERA (3.97) feel Suarez has been a good bit better than his more rudimentary earned run average would indicate. If he clears waivers, he’d have the right to reject an outright assignment, though doing so would require forfeiting the remainder of that $900K guarantee, so he’d probably accept an assignment to Gwinnett.
The 32-year-old Payamps has had a tougher season. He’s pitched 7 2/3 innings with Atlanta, who plucked him off waivers from the Brewers last September, and been tagged for seven earned runs on nine hits and four walks. Two of those nine hits left the yard.
Payamps was a solid middle reliever for the A’s in 2021-22 and a revelation with the Brewers in 2023-24 after Milwaukee picked him up alongside William Contreras in a three-team trade that turned out to be a heist on their end of things. (Sean Murphy went to the Braves; Esteury Ruiz, Kyle Muller, Freddy Tarnok, Royber Salinas and Manny Piña went to Oakland.) Payamps was dominant with the Brew Crew in ’23-’24, logging a 2.78 ERA, 48 holds and nine saves with a 26.1% strikeout rate against a 6.7% walk rate.
The 2025 season saw Payamps falter, however. He was roughed up for a 7.23 ERA in 23 2/3 innings before eventually being designated for assignment late in the year. Atlanta clearly still believed in the right-hander’s stuff, as the Braves not only claimed him in September but tendered him a $2.25MM contract over the winter. Any team that claims or acquires Payamps would be responsible for the remainder of that $2.25MM sum.
As is the case with Suarez, Payamps has enough service time to reject an outright assignment if he clears waivers, but not enough to do so while retaining the remainder of his salary. Given that salary and the fact that his struggles date back to 2025, it seems likely that Payamps will indeed pass through waivers. If that happens, he’ll surely head to Gwinnett to retain that salary and hope to pitch his way back into the major league mix.
Stratton pitched well in 16 1/3 innings with Atlanta last year and is out to a decent start in Gwinnett this season. Molina was a December waiver claim out of the Rockies organization. He’s a four-pitch reliever (four-seamer, slider, curveball, changeup) with good command but well below-average strikeout numbers in the majors. He was tagged for a 6.96 ERA in 94 1/3 innings with the Rox from 2024-25, but he’s worked to a 4.50 ERA with the Stripers while enjoying a nearly two mile-per-hour spike in velocity and a big 51.1% ground-ball rate.
In addition to the shaky performance from Suarez and Payamps this season, both were out of minor league options. That left Atlanta with minimal flexibility in the bullpen. For a chunk of the current season, the Braves’ only optionable reliever was lefty Dylan Lee, who is deservingly entrenched in the setup ranks and was never going to be sent down. Today’s pair of DFAs and Raisel Iglesias‘ trip to the 15-day IL have created some extra wiggle room. Lee, Stratton, Molina and prospect Didier Fuentes (a starter in the minors but currently in the Braves ‘pen) all have options left, which should give the club more flexibility when they need to bring up a fresh arm.
Braves To Activate Spencer Strider On Sunday
The Braves will reinstate Spencer Strider from the 15-day injured list on Sunday, manager Walt Weiss told reporters before tonight’s walk-off win over Detroit (link via Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). He’ll make his season debut in the close of a weekend set at Coors Field.
Strider has missed the first month of the season after straining his oblique during Spring Training. He has taken the ball three times on a rehab stint, building to five innings and 82 pitches at Triple-A Gwinnett. Strider’s stuff has looked sharp, as he’s averaging 95.5 mph on his fastball and sitting at 84 with the slider. It’s not the upper-90s heat he brandished before undergoing elbow surgery in April 2024, but it’s a match for last year’s velocity.
Atlanta’s rotation has excelled despite the spring injuries to Strider, Hurston Waldrep, Spencer Schwellenbach and Joey Wentz — to say nothing of AJ Smith-Shawver’s 2025 UCL surgery. Bryce Elder has solidified his hold on a rotation spot. Grant Holmes and Martín Pérez have worked around middling strikeout and walk numbers to manage good results. The Braves have also gotten looks at rookies Didier Fuentes and JR Ritchie. They’re positioned well enough to push Reynaldo López to the bullpen for the time being.
Ritchie held a hot Nationals lineup to two runs over seven innings in his debut last week. He fought his command a bit tonight but managed 5 2/3 frames of three-run ball against Detroit. Weiss said postgame he expects Ritchie to take another turn through the rotation (relayed by Mark Bowman of MLB.com). That’ll come early next week at T-Mobile Park, a nice moment for the Seattle native.
That could allow the Braves to use Pérez out of the bullpen. Elder goes tomorrow afternoon as they try to sweep the Tigers. Although the Braves haven’t announced plans for the first two games of the Colorado series, they’d have Holmes and Chris Sale lined up on extra rest after Monday’s off day.
Strider is just one of a handful of key players nearing their returns from injury. Weiss said this evening that closer Raisel Iglesias is not expected to require a rehab assignment (via Bowman). He could return directly to the MLB bullpen when first eligible on Tuesday after a minor bout of shoulder inflammation. That’ll move Robert Suarez back into a setup role.
Sean Murphy has been on a rehab stint since April 14. Those can last up to 20 days for position players, so he’ll be back by Monday at the latest barring a setback. Ha-Seong Kim opened his own 20-day rehab window tonight with an appearance at Double-A Columbus. He played five innings at shortstop and collected a single in two at-bats.
Mauricio Dubón has done a nice job as a fill-in shortstop in Kim’s absence. Dubón has carved out a strong career as a utility player and should move back into a multi-position role in the middle of May. The Braves don’t tend to play matchups very often, yet they’ll presumably ease Kim back into action. Dubón could also take some work in left field, where Mike Yastrzemski is one of the few Atlanta players who hasn’t gotten out to a strong start.
Braves Designate Carlos Carrasco For Assignment
The Braves designated right-hander Carlos Carrasco for assignment on Wednesday, per a club announcement. His spot on the roster will go to left-hander Dylan Lee, who has been reinstated from the paternity list.
Carrasco pitched one perfect inning for Atlanta and picked up a strikeout in that spotless frame. His call to the roster always seemed likely to be short term in nature. Carrasco signed a minor league deal with the Braves over the winter after pitching 13 2/3 innings for them down the stretch last year. The Braves designated Carrasco for assignment last August and quickly re-signed him to a minor league deal. He re-signed on another minor league pact over the winter, which seems to suggest he’s amenable to a Jesse Chavez-style arrangement in Atlanta, where Chavez was frequently brought to the majors, cut loose, and re-signed as minor league depth.
The 39-year-old Carrasco opened the 2026 season with four sharp starts in Triple-A Gwinnett. He’s tossed 21 innings for the Stripers and notched a sparkling 1.71 ERA with a 20.7% strikeout rate against a 5.7% walk rate. It’s at least feasible that another club in need of depth might place a speculative claim or talk to the Braves about a possible cash trade, but most veteran DFAs of this nature will see the player hit the open market one way or another. Given the recent history between Carrasco and Atlanta, there’s a decent chance he’s released or rejects an outright assignment and quickly re-signs a new minor league deal.
Carrasco has now pitched in parts of 17 major league seasons. He has more than 14 years of big league service and owns a lifetime 4.22 ERA with a 24% strikeout rate and 6.6% walk rate. If he ends up back in Gwinnett, he’ll probably stay stretched out in the rotation there and wait for another opportunity to bring a fresh arm to the big league bullpen or perhaps make a spot start or two in the rotation, as injuries necessitate.
Braves Temporarily Moving Reynaldo Lopez To Relief Role
After having their rotation depth tested by injuries in Spring Training, the Braves now find themselves in the position of having enough arms to allow themselves to tinker with the starting five. With Spencer Strider close to a return to the rotation, Reynaldo Lopez is being moved to the bullpen, as manager Walt Weiss told reporters (including Chad Bishop of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) on Sunday.
Lopez’s last start saw him fail to get out of the second inning, as he allowed four earned runs over an inning plus two batters in the Braves’ 11-4 loss to the Nationals last Tuesday. In the aftermath of that tough outing, the decision was made to give Lopez some time to “iron some things out” as a reliever, as Weiss put it.
Lopez is “working through some things, delivery-wise, that type of thing, and he’s getting there,” Weiss said. “And when he’s right, he’s one of our best starters. He was our No. 2 coming out of camp, even with some of the issues he had at the end of Spring Training. We see him as a starter long term, but right now…he’s going to help us out of the pen in the short term.”
The situation is fluid, as Weiss admitted that “it’s series to series with the rotation right now.” Martin Perez, JR Ritchie, and Bryce Elder are lined up to start during the three-game series with the Tigers that begins on Tuesday. Grant Holmes will likely go on Friday against the Rockies and Chris Sale will start Saturday or Sunday, depending on Strider’s readiness.
Strider has been on the 15-day injured list all season recovering from an oblique strain, but he threw 82 pitches in his third rehab start today. Assuming no setbacks, Strider should be able to pitch during one of those two games next weekend in Denver.
Pretty much everything has been clicking for an Atlanta team that has a league-best 20-9 record. The offense, bullpen, and starting rotation have all been rolling, even if the rotation’s collective 3.12 ERA is undermined by some shakier secondary metrics. While it remains to be seen how long the starters can keep it going or how long a leash the Braves may give a rookie like Ritchie or a veteran like Perez (who has already been released and then re-signed to a new minor league deal, and re-selected to the active roster).
This leaves Lopez as an excess arm, even though Lopez’s 3.74 ERA is respectable and he is doing a good job of limiting hard contact. The righty’s 21.1% strikeout rate and 11.6% walk rate are both below average, however, and his four-seamer’s average velocity is 93.9mph — well below the 95.5mph that Lopez averaged in 2024.
That dominant 2024 campaign saw Lopez post a 1.99 ERA over 135 2/3 innings, as Atlanta’s decision to move Lopez back into a starting role paid big dividends. The end of that breakout year saw Lopez hampered by forearm and shoulder problems, which proved to be a harbinger for a 2025 season that saw Lopez make just a single start. The right-hander underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder following that lone outing, and his rehab was shut down late in the year since Lopez didn’t have enough time to build his arm back up to a starter’s workload.
It isn’t surprising that Lopez needs to shake off some rust after his long layoff, even if he looked pretty good over his first three starts of the year. Having Lopez available out of the pen to throw multiple innings gives the Braves some cover if any of their starters are chased early, and lower-leverage work will hopefully allow Lopez to solve his mechanical issues.
Braves Outright Ian Hamilton
Right-handed reliever Ian Hamilton went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment by the Braves and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Gwinnett, per Chad Bishop of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. As a player who’s been outrighted previously (and who has three-plus years of MLB service), he’ll have the right to reject that assignment in favor of free agency.
Hamilton made only one appearance with Atlanta. He was tagged for three runs in an inning of work. He fared better during his initial run with Gwinnett, holding opponents to a pair of runs with a 9-to-1 K/BB ratio in 6 1/3 innings of work.
The 30-year-old Hamilton has pitched 151 1/3 innings in the majors. In addition to this very brief appearance with Atlanta, he’s pitched for the White Sox, Yankees and Twins. The 2016 11th-rounder (White Sox) has a 3.75 ERA, though most of his success came in a 2023 season that saw him post a 2.64 ERA in 58 frames with the Yankees. He’s generally posted mid-4.00s ERAs in his other exposure to big league hitters.
Hamilton has little problem missing bats. He’s fanned more than one quarter of his major league opponents and carries a career 14.5% swinging-strike rate. He’s also kept the ball on the ground at a nice 45.9% clip, avoided home runs and avoided hard contact in general. He’s far too prone to walks, however, as evidenced by a career 11.3% mark.
Even if Hamilton elects free agency, the Braves have a habit of passing veterans of this ilk through waivers and quickly re-signing them. They did so with Jesse Chavez for several years and have done so with both Carlos Carrasco and Martín Pérez over the past calendar year.
Will Braves Add Drake Baldwin To List Of Early-Career Extensions?
The Braves have had a fantastic start to the 2026 season. They've outscored opponents by 62 runs, the best mark in MLB. Their 18-8 record has them atop the National League.
That's before considering the dismal starts of their two biggest threats in the division. The Mets are eight games under .500 and the Phillies nine. Atlanta has already built a 5.5 game lead in the NL East and is nine games clear of the two other teams that most observers would have considered realistic candidates to win the East. Teams cannot lock up a division in April, of course, but the Braves couldn't have drawn up a better first month.
There are myriad reasons for the hot start. The back of the rotation, easily the biggest weakness on paper given all their injuries, has performed admirably. They've been one of the best defensive teams in the league. No team has scored more runs. While some of that is driven by Mauricio Dubón and Dominic Smith hitting well above previous levels, any regression from those hitters should be offset by Ronald Acuña Jr. shaking off a middling start.
Although Acuña is still the face of the lineup, Drake Baldwin is making a strong case that he's their second-best position player. Last year's NL Rookie of the Year has come out on fire. He's tied with Matt Olson for the team lead with seven home runs while batting .318/.392/.551 over 120 plate appearances. The former third-round pick is up to a .283/.351/.488 slash over his first 561 career trips to the dish.
Baldwin already looks like one of the three to five best catchers in MLB -- no small accomplishment in a time with a lot of excellent young backstops. One would imagine the front office would love to keep him in Atlanta long term. The Braves are notably diligent about keeping their contract talks close to the vest, so there hasn't been any substantive reporting about extension conversations with Baldwin. It seems fair to assume they've at least quietly broached the possibility.
President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos has been extremely aggressive on the extension front. What kind of money might it take to add Baldwin to the likes of Acuña, Austin Riley, Spencer Strider, Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris II as homegrown talents whom the Braves have extended?
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Braves Select Carlos Carrasco, Place Dylan Dodd On Injured List
April 23: Atlanta formally announced the selection of both Carrasco and Ritchie. Fuentes was indeed optioned back to Gwinnett, and Dodd heads to the 15-day injured list. However, Dodd’s formal injury designation from the team was not an oblique strain, but rather “left thoracic spine inflammation.” The team’s initial announcement doesn’t provide a timetable for Dodd’s return, but manager Walt Weiss will probably provide more details in today’s pre-game media session.
April 22: The Braves are selecting veteran righty Carlos Carrasco onto the MLB roster, reports Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Left-hander Dylan Dodd will go on the 15-day injured list with an oblique strain. Carrasco will be available in long relief behind JR Ritchie, who is coming up to start tomorrow in his major league debut.
Atlanta already had two openings on the 40-man roster. They lost Osvaldo Bido on waivers to the White Sox over the weekend and designated Ian Hamilton for assignment this morning. Adding Ritchie and Carrasco will put their roster back at capacity.
The 39-year-old Carrasco will be in the big leagues for a 17th season. He made three starts for Atlanta last summer as part of a revolving door of depth arms while the rotation was decimated by injury. Carrasco allowed 15 runs across 13 2/3 innings and finished the season in Triple-A. The Braves brought him back on a new minor league deal at the beginning of the offseason.
Carrasco is out to a nice start with their top affiliate in Gwinnett. He carries a 1.71 earned run average through his first four appearances. Carrasco has fanned 21% of opposing hitters with a sub-6% walk rate. He’s only in the 90-91 mph range on his fastballs, leaning more heavily on his slider and changeup to compensate.
The arsenal hasn’t played at the MLB level for the past few seasons. Carrasco owns a 6.36 ERA between four teams since the start of the 2023 campaign. Atlanta needed a length option for a bullpen that has gotten a lot of work over the past couple days.
Their last two starters, Reynaldo López and Didier Fuentes, threw a combined four innings. While Ritchie is a very good prospect, he’s not a lock to work deep in the game in his first outing against a big league lineup. He’ll take on a Nationals team that has started the season hot offensively behind fantastic months from James Wood and CJ Abrams. Excluding the just optioned Fuentes, Ritchie and Carrasco have been Atlanta’s two best Triple-A starters.
MLBTR Podcast: Kevin McGonigle, The Padres’ Franchise Valuation, And Edwin Díaz To Miss Time
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The Tigers signing Kevin McGonigle to an eight-year extension (1:30)
- José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones reportedly having an agreement in place to buy the Padres (13:10)
- Dodgers right-hander Edwin Díaz requiring elbow surgery (27:20)
Plus, we answer your questions, including…
- Are the Braves for real? And what do they do once their injured guys get healthy? (32:20)
- If a salary cap is theoretically implemented, how would it work with the teams currently over the cap? (40:50)
- Can Michael Wacha of the Royals keep up his dominance? (45:50)
- What are the Reds going to do with Matt McLain and TJ Friedl? (48:15)
- Can the Nationals keep up this level of offense? And if so, should they have invested more in this year’s pitching staff? (52:10)
Check out our past episodes!
- Lenyn Sosa Traded, And Injury Concerns For The Astros, Cubs And Orioles – listen here
- Previewing The 2026-27 Free-Agent Class – listen here
- Lots Of Extensions And Big-Picture Topics – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images
Braves To Select JR Ritchie
The Braves are promoting pitching prospect JR Ritchie to start tomorrow afternoon’s game against the Nationals, reports Harrison Smajovits of Sports Illustrated. Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports that Didier Fuentes is being optioned back to Triple-A Gwinnett in the corresponding transaction. Atlanta will also promote Carlos Carrasco to work in long relief.
Fuentes was just recalled this morning. He started this evening but labored over three innings, allowing seven hits and a walk. Fuentes’ inefficiency forced the Braves to bring in Martín Pérez for long relief. The veteran southpaw tossed three innings of two-run ball, which obviously took him out of consideration to start tomorrow’s ballgame.
Atlanta needed a spot starter for the finale of their four-game set in Washington. Long relievers José Suarez and Dylan Dodd each pitched on Tuesday, and Dodd is reportedly going on the injured list. A bullpen game would have been a lot to ask. Reynaldo López only completed one inning last night, so every Braves reliever has pitched within the past two days.
Ritchie was the logical candidate to take the ball. The 2022 supplemental first-round draftee has been Gwinnett’s best pitcher in the early going. Ritchie has only given up three runs through his first 27 1/3 innings while striking out 26.2% of opposing hitters. He has tiptoed around erratic command, as he’s walked 13 batters and plunked four more.
Although the 22-year-old isn’t a finished product, he’s likely to be up and down throughout the season as a key rotation depth piece. Baseball America ranks Ritchie as the #2 prospect in the Atlanta system, crediting him with a deep arsenal and a chance to be a #4 starter. Ritchie has been in the 93-94 mph range with his four-seam fastball and sinker this season. He throws four distinct offspeed pitches — a changeup, cutter, slider and curveball.
It’s past the point at which Ritchie can reach a full year of service time in 2026. He was on the preseason Top 100 lists at each of BA, MLB Pipeline and ESPN. He therefore meets the threshold for the Prospect Promotion Incentive and could “earn” a service year if he finishes top two in Rookie of the Year balloting. The Braves would not receive an extra draft choice in that scenario because he wasn’t on the MLB roster for 172+ days.
There’s a decent chance this is a one-off appearance regardless. Ritchie will be the only healthy, optionable pitcher on their active roster aside from top setup man Dylan Lee. Atlanta has an off day on Monday. The Braves could option Ritchie after tomorrow’s appearance to get an extra bullpen arm up for their weekend series against the Phillies. Pérez would be ready to start in the middle of next week. Spencer Strider probably only needs one more rehab outing before he returns to the rotation.