Braves Rumors

Braves Place Jacob Webb On 60-Day IL

By Connor Byrne | August 19, 2019 at 9:10pm CDT

The Braves recalled right-handed reliever Jacob Webb from Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday and placed him on the 60-day injured list with an elbow impingement, David O’Brien of The Athletic tweets. The move opened up 40-man space for outfielder Billy Hamilton, whom the Braves claimed off waivers from the Royals.

This will be a season-ending development for Webb, whose elbow problems have helped prevent him from pitching in the majors since July 12. He had been in the minors over the past couple weeks after coming off the 10-day IL on Aug. 4. The 26-year-old will wrap up his rookie campaign having pitched to a measly 1.39 ERA over 32 1/3 innings. Of course, ERA indicators FIP (4.31), xFIP (5.14) and SIERA (4.54) weren’t nearly as bullish on Webb’s work, while his strikeout, walk and groundball rates (7.79 K/9, 3.34 BB/9, 38.2 GB%) also suggest he’d have had a difficult time upholding his great ERA had he stayed healthy.

In fairness to Webb, he doesn’t simply look like a case of smoke and mirrors. The hard thrower logged a strong 17.5 percent infield fly rate before hitting the IL last month and also emerged as a Statcast favorite. Webb’s fastball velocity (95.1 mph; 81st percentile) and spin rate (88th percentile) have been among the most impressive in the game in 2019, which is also true of his expected weighted on-base average (.287) and real wOBA against (.281).

It’s debatable how much good fortune factored into Webb’s success this year, but what’s clear is that he has been one of the few Atlanta relievers to post overwhelmingly positive results in the run prevention category. Webb is far and away No. 1 in ERA among all regular Braves bullpen arms, so it’s a letdown for the NL East leaders to lose a promising young hurler in what has been a trying season for their relief corps.

Braves Claim Billy Hamilton

By Jeff Todd | August 19, 2019 at 4:51pm CDT

The Braves have claimed outfielder Billy Hamilton off waivers from the Royals, per a club announcement. The Atlanta organization will be responsible for the remainder of Hamilton’s $4.25MM salary along with a $1MM buyout on a mutual option.

It’s a fairly significant price to pay, but understandable under the circumstances. The Braves have lost their two best left-handed-hitting outfield options, Nick Markakis and Ender Inciarte, to injuries that may not heal by the end of the season. Lacking the ability to strike a trade for a MLB contract, the club had limited avenues for acquiring a replacement. The

As we noted when Inciarte’s injury arose, Hamilton is in the same general sub-category of player. Both are speedy, defensive-oriented center fielders who hit from the left side. If Inciarte is something of an archetype, Hamilton is an extreme version of the class. Hamilton has been an exceedingly valuable fielder and baserunner, though he has minimal power and has rarely reached base at palatable rates.

This year, Hamilton’s bat has sunk even further. At the time of his departure from the K.C. roster, he had produced 305 plate appearances of 44 wRC+ output. He’s still valued as an excellent defender and baserunner, though there has been a bit of erosion in Hamilton’s most notable physical skill. By measure of Statcast, his sprint speed has fallen from a 99+ percentile placement in recent years to the 97.5th percentile this season.

While Hamilton hasn’t been at his best in 2019, he ought to help shore things up down the stretch. And he’s a fascinating postseason roster piece as a potential late-inning pinch runner and/or defensive replacement. That’s arguably worth a premium to a team that’s all but assured of a postseason appearance. As we discussed in profiling some August waiver claim candidates, the Braves can perhaps afford to splurge on a needed addition given that they were bailed out of the remainder of their obligations to Kevin Gausman.

Rockies Claim Wes Parsons

By Steve Adams and Jeff Todd | August 19, 2019 at 2:04pm CDT

The Rockies announced that they’ve claimed right-handed reliever Wes Parsons off waivers from the Braves, who had designated him for assignment over the weekend. In order to make room on the 40-man roster, the Rox moved Scott Oberg from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL, definitively ending his season. Oberg went on the IL over the weekend due to a blood clot.

With an immediate need for fresh arms and a longer-term interest in finding cost-efficient relief pitching, it’s no surprise that the Rox made a strike here. Parsons hasn’t quite reached his 27th birthday, has options remaining, and is still a long way from arbitration. It’s possible he’ll be given a chance to pitch his way into the team’s plans for 2020.

If he’s to take advantage of the opportunity, Parsons will need to improve upon his initial showing in Atlanta. He carried a 3.52 ERA through 15 1/3 MLB innings this year, but didn’t get there in style. With 13 walks to go with a dozen strikeouts, along with a lowly 6.9% swinging-strike rate, it was clear that Parsons wasn’t fooling MLB hitters.

That said, there’s still reason to hope for better. Parsons has a history of quality results in the upper minors; this year, at Triple-A, he worked to a 2.86 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 along with a 56.8% groundball rate. No doubt the Rox are particularly intrigued by the fact that Parsons has typically induced quite a few worm burners and limited the long ball as a minor-leaguer.

NL Notes: Kimbrel, Scherzer, Swanson

By Dylan A. Chase | August 17, 2019 at 8:00pm CDT

MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian offers that the “expectation” is that Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel will be activated for Sunday’s contest with the Pirates. Signed this midseason to a 3-year/$43MM contract, Kimbrel got off to a rocky start in Chicago before a knee injury robbed him of participation in the club’s last 13 games. Through his first 14 appearances in blue pinstripes, the bearded hurler holds a 5.68 ERA across 12.2 IP. While the club is yet to announce his activation, Gordon Wittenmeyer points out that Kimbrel was on the team’s travel roster for their charter to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and is indeed expected to be activated from the injured list in time for the third edition of MLB’s Little League Classic (link).

Wittenmeyer also relays that Steve Cishek appears as though he’ll be ready to return from the IL on Tuesday after throwing another bullpen session Saturday. Both returns would be welcome news for Cubs skipper Joe Maddon, who has been tinkering with troublesome iterations of Pedro Strop, Kyle Ryan, Derek Holland, and Brandon Kintzler in late-game situations.

More news from around the senior circuit…

Saturday saw sidelined Nationals ace Max Scherzer throwing his second simulated game of the week, and MASN’s Mark Zuckerman reports that the legendary righty is on track to return on Thursday. “He felt good,” manager Dave Martinez told Zuckerman. “He’s a little bit ornery, but that’s a good thing. Now we’ll see how he feels tomorrow.” It hardly counts as high-level baseball journalism to say that the Nationals are going to need Scherzer in peak form in coming weeks. Sitting atop the tightly packed NL Wild Card race, Washington will play 11 games before season’s end against the Brewers, Mets, Cubs, and Phillies–four teams currently chomping at their heels for the right to play in the postseason play-in game. When healthy, the 35-year-old righty has posted typically ridiculous numbers, with a 2.41 ERA, 2.09 FIP, 12.66 K/9, and 1.67 BB/9 in 134.1 innings this year.
Though the Braves lost Ender Inciarte to injury this weekend, it’s not all doom and gloom out of the Big Peach–as noted in an article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Gabriel Burns, sturdy shortstop performer Dansby Swanson is ramping up baseball activities. The 25-year-old infielder has missed 22 games this year due to an incidental heel injury but was seen taking ground balls before Saturday’s game. Before being hurt, Swanson was putting together his most complete full-season at the plate, with 17 home runs and a 102 wRC+ in 100 games. His injury was partly responsible for the team’s signing of defensive specialist Adeiny Hechavarria, but the team would eagerly clear a place for Swanson at the team table if he were able to return by late August as currently expected. Atlanta holds a 4.5 game lead in the race for the NL East pennant.

Ender Inciarte Placed On Injured List

By Dylan A. Chase | August 17, 2019 at 6:01pm CDT

Following a string of earlier reports regarding the hamstring injury sustained by Braves outfielder Ender Inciarte yesterday, the team has officially placed him on the 10-day injured list. Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution shares that Inciarte is expected to be out 4-6 weeks after an MRI scan revealed a strain of the Grade 2 variety (link). Outfielder Adam Duvall has been recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to take Inciarte’s place on the active roster.

2019 has been a hard-luck season for Inciarte so far: it was just four weeks ago that the defensively gifted outfielder was activated after missing 55 games with an injury to the lumbar region in his torso. Since that activation, Inciarte had rebounded with a .293 batting average and 15 RBI in 90 plate appearances. Though his contact-and-defense profile has never been a glamorous one, Inciarte’s absence is sure to cause frustration for a Braves team already thoroughly bitten by injury bugs.

While the Braves hold a 4.5 game lead on their NL East counterparts, the team has had a hard time keeping key players on the field in recent weeks. After injuries to Nick Markakis and Austin Riley, Inciarte’s month-plus departure will reduce Atlanta’s grass patrol to Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Joyce, Charlie Culberson, Rafael Ortega, and the just-promoted Duvall–a rather thin crew after the talented sophomore from Venezuela.

Braves fans may have hoped that an Inciarte injury would, at least on the bright side, result in the promotion of one of Cristian Pache or Drew Waters, but Atlanta will turn instead to the veteran Duvall as a depth fill-in. After being acquired from the Reds last year, the Braves tendered a $2.875MM salary to the battle-tested slugger this offseason. He’s spent the majority of 2019 in Triple-A but has been a roughly league-average hitter when called upon in 19 MLB games this year (.250/.297/.500 slash line and 99 wRC+). Inciarte’s injury will also precipitate a temporary move back to center field for Acuna Jr., per Burns’ report.

Braves Remove Ender Inciarte With Hamstring Injury

By Jeff Todd | August 16, 2019 at 10:02pm CDT

10:02pm: Inciarte’s injury does indeed look “significant,” Mark Bowman of MLB.com tweets. The Braves will further evaluate him Saturday.

7:17pm: Already facing mounting health challenges, the Braves are now left with another potentially significant injury. Center fielder Ender Inciarte was removed from tonight’s game with what the team is labeling a right hamstring injury, as David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution was among those to cover on Twitter.

After a slow start at the plate, Inciarte suffered a lumbar strain that robbed him of a significant chunk of the season. While his status with the club once seemed in question, Inciarte has been on fire at the plate since returning. He’s now a critical part of the team’s outfield mix with Nick Markakis and Austin Riley on the shelf (and the latter having endured a lengthy slump).

While we won’t know more about Inciarte’s status until he has undergone further medical review, it’s quite worrisome to see him limp off with a hammy problem. There are just six weeks left in the regular season, with the postseason beckoning thereafter, so there’s not much time to give a significant muscle injury adequate rest. The club will have to hope that it’s just a low-grade strain.

Earlier today, the Braves demoted Adam Duvall and Johan Camargo, both of whom have struggled at the plate in recent weeks. The former seems like an obvious replacement option — that’s the entire reason he was tendered a contract and kept all season long, after all — and he’ll be able to come right back from Gwinnett without waiting the usual ten days if Inciarte hits the injured list. But that would leave a suboptimal outfield group to supplement Ronald Acuna, with Duvall potentially joining Matt Joyce, Charlie Culberson, and Rafael Ortega as options.

If Inciarte ends up being diagnosed with a significant injury, it’s likely the Braves will end up taking a hard look at the waiver wire for upgrades. Left-handed-hitting speed demon Billy Hamilton did just come available today; he carries a generally similar profile to Inciarte, albeit with much lesser abilities with the bat. Some will no doubt raise the call for top prospects Christian Pache and Drew Waters. It’d certainly be a bold and fascinating gambit for the team to promote either of the talented twenty-year-olds, though there’s no real indication whether that will seriously be considered.

Braves Designate Wes Parsons

By Jeff Todd | August 16, 2019 at 4:08pm CDT

The Braves announced that they have designated righty Wes Parsons for assignment. His roster spot was needed for the club’s previously reported signing of Adeiny Hechavarria, which is now official.

Parsons, 26, converted to a full-time relief role this season and has had success at limiting earned runs. But that only tells a limited portion of the story.

In limited MLB action, Parsons has had trouble limiting walks (7.6 per nine), getting swings and misses (6.9% swinging-strike rate), and generating grounders (as he always has in the minors). That’s a recipe for disaster, which explains why the Braves haven’t used him more in the bigs despite a 3.52 ERA in 15 1/3 innings this year.

Braves To Sign Hechavarria; Option Camargo, Duvall

By Jeff Todd | August 16, 2019 at 2:10pm CDT

The Braves are slated to make a few notable roster tweaks, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (via Twitter). The club will ink shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria, who was recently released by the Mets, as had been suggested earlier today.

Also joining the active roster will be righty Bryse Wilson. To create roster space, the organization has optioned utilityman Johan Camargo and outfielder Adam Duvall.

The addition of Hechavarria is filled with interesting angles. For one thing, he had until just recently played for the division-rival Mets, who cut him loose when they had the opportunity to add Joe Panik. New York will continue to cover any further guarantees under Hechavarria’s contract, less a pro-rated portion of the league minimum for the time he spends in the majors in Atlanta.

It also marks the end of the Braves’ patience with Camargo, whose season-long struggles with the bat and more recent travails with the glove have finally reached a breaking point. His roster spot was said to be safe, but the club obviously decided upon a change when the opportunity arose to add Hechavarria after he cleared release waivers.

Hechavarria will now pair with Charlie Culberson to line up at shortstop for the foreseeable future. That pairing is keeping the seat warm for the injured Dansby Swanson, whose timetable remains unknown.

There’s also intrigue surrounding Duvall, who has received scant MLB opportunity this year despite a $2,875,000 salary. His presence on the 40-man roster seemed fortuitous when the club needed to replace Nick Markakis and Austin Riley — all the more so when Duvall socked five long balls in his first six games back in the bigs. But the good times didn’t last. Over his past 48 plate appearances, Duvall has just five hits (one for extra bases) with 18 strikeouts.

It’s all but certain that some additional near-term roster maneuvering will take place in Atlanta. Right now, the team is rolling with only three bench pieces, which is likely only temporary. And there’s a distinct imbalance in the outfield, which currently features three left-handed hitters (Ender Inciarte, Matt Joyce, Rafael Ortega) alongside everyday superstar Ronald Acuna. Perhaps Culberson will see some action in left field when an opposing southpaw takes the hill, with Hechavarria handling short, but it’d be optimal to have a committed right-handed-hitting outfield piece.

Braves Considering Signing Adeiny Hechavarria

By Jeff Todd | August 16, 2019 at 1:31pm CDT

The Braves are contemplating a move to sign veteran shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). Hechavarria evidently cleared release waivers earlier this afternoon.

It’s not surprising that Hechavarria was not claimed. He was earning at a fairly hefty $3MM rate. And his deal included big bonuses ($1MM apiece at 100 and 150 days on the active roster) that were close at hand when he was cut loose by the Mets. A claiming team would’ve stepped into those obligations.

The 30-year-old did not hit much in limited action in New York. Over 151 plate appearances, he carried a .204/.252/.359 slash with five home runs. Hechavarria has yet to finish a season in shouting distance of league-average offensive production and owns a lifetime .252/.288/.346 batting line.

That said, Hechavarria has long been regarded as a high-end infield defender. He’d help the Braves fill in for the injured Dansby Swanson. Though Charlie Culberson and Johan Camargo are both capable of playing shortstop, neither has Hechavarria’s reputation for sterling glovework. Camargo has also endured a brutal season at the plate.

NL East Notes: Doolittle, Camargo, Chisholm

By Steve Adams | August 16, 2019 at 9:47am CDT

Sean Doolittle is on pace to finish just enough games to trigger the clause in his contract that turns the Nationals’ $6.5MM club option into a mutual option, and the reliever spoke to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post about his future this week. “I mean, you play this game for a really long time, and any time you have even a little control over your fate, over the direction your career goes, that’s something that we all hope to have,” said the Washington closer.

It’s a critical clause for the Nationals, as the club has had perennial issues with its bullpen over the past few seasons. Doolittle himself was a midseason upgrade on the trade market and has emerged as Washington’s most reliable reliever since being acquired in 2017. He’ll need to finish 17 of the club’s final 42 games to get there, but he’s already finished 48 of 120, making that a distinct possibility. If his option converts to a mutual option, it’s quite likely that the 32-year-old will enter free agency, as he should be able to top a year and $6.5MM easily on the open market. Doolittle has a 2.65 ERA with 10.7 K/9, 1.9 BB/9 and 73 saves in 125 2/3 innings as a National.

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