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Braves Place Austin Riley On Injured List

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4:12pm: Riley has suffered a partially-torn LCL, manager Brian Snitker told reporters (including Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution).  Riley is set to visit Dr. James Andrews on Monday to determine the full extent of the injury.

TODAY, 12:50pm: The Braves announced that Riley has been placed on the IL with a sprained right knee. No timetable for his return was provided. Right-hander Jeremy Walker is up from Triple-A in his place.

Aug. 7: The Braves will place third baseman/left fielder Austin Riley on the 10-day injured list due to an injured ligament in his right knee, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Riley sustained the injury in the weight room this week but didn’t initially believe it to be serious. His knee stiffened overnight, however, and he’ll undergo some testing to determine the extent of the issue. Atlanta will announce a corresponding move (and perhaps further details on the injury) tomorrow.

Riley, 22, debuted to great fanfare in Atlanta earlier this season and quickly established himself as a serious power threat in the Braves’ lineup. He’s homered 17 times in 255 plate appearances, but his considerable pop has been overshadowed by alarming contact issues of late.

Riley batted .298/.336/.628 with 11 homers in his first 30 big league games (128 plate appearances) but did so with a 32 percent strikeout rate, a .362 average on balls in play and a 29.7 percent homer-to-flyball ratio that’d currently rank fifth in MLB behind Nelson Cruz, Christian Yelich, Pete Alonso and Franmil Reyes if sustained. Suffice it to say, his instant success was impressive but didn’t appear likely to be fully maintained. A drop of this magnitude, however, wasn’t exactly foreseeable itself. Over his past 127 trips to the dish, Riley has batted just .183/.252/.374 with a strikeout rate of nearly 39 percent.

With his injury, the Braves will rely on a primary outfield trio of Adam Duvall in left, Ender Inciarte in center and Ronald Acuna Jr. in right field, with Matt Joyce serving as the fourth outfielder. Charlie Culberson figures to be the primary backup to both Josh Donaldson at third base and Johan Camargo at shortstop. Dansby Swanson is also on the injured list at the moment and is not yet ready to be activated, O’Brien tweets.

Braves To Sign Lucas Duda

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The Braves have agreed to a minors deal with first baseman Lucas Duda, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (via Twitter). The Roster Roundup Twitter account first connected the sides.

Duda, 33, will seek to reprise the role he played late last year in Atlanta, when he provided some bench punch in September. He’ll begin by trying to get his swing in form at Triple-A.

This has been a season to forget so far for the veteran slugger. Given a limited role in Kansas City, Duda failed to earn more opportunities. Ultimately, he limped to a .171/.252/.324 batting line in 119 plate appearances for the Royals. He was cut loose recently when the team couldn’t find a trade taker.

Reds Claim Kevin Gausman

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1:00pm: The teams have announced the move. Atlanta also announced that Mike Foltynewicz is up from Triple-A Gwinnett, so he’ll take Gausman’s spot in the rotation.

12:25pm: The Reds have claimed right-hander Kevin Gausman off outright waivers from the Braves, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). That’s not to be mistaken with the now-defunct revocable August trade waivers, to be clear. The claim means that Gausman is now a member of the Reds, who by claiming him are agreeing to take on the remainder of the right-hander’s $9.35MM salary — a sum of about $2.815MM between now and season’s end.

Cincinnati is obviously banking on a return to form following a change of scenery, as Gausman is mired in the worst season of his big league career. The former No. 4 overall draft pick (Orioles, 2012) joined Atlanta last season in a deadline trade that saw Atlanta take on the remainder of Darren O’Day’s salary while also shipping out international bonus allotments and minor leaguers Brett Cumberland, JC Encarnacion, Bruce Zimmermann and Evan Phillips.

Gausman performed admirably down the stretch in 2018 and was a big part of the Braves’ rotation (2.87 ERA in 59 2/3 innings), but he’s been among the league’s least effective pitchers in 2019. Through 80 innings, he’s pitched to a 6.19 earned run average with 9.6 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 1.35 HR/9 and a career-low 37 percent ground-ball rate.

There’s little denying that Gausman has had his share of poor fortune in 2019. His .345 average on balls in play is well north of both his career mark (.313) and the league average (.299), and his 59.3 percent strand rate appears fluky and due for some positive regression toward his lifetime mark of 74.1 percent. Fielding-independent metrics peg him as a candidate for considerable improvement (4.20 FIP, 4.40 SIERA, 4.47 xFIP).

Gausman’s average fastball velocity (93.8 mph) is down from its 95 mph peak, however, and he’s allowing line drives at a career-worst 24.7 percent clip. Opposing hitters are barreling up Gausman’s offerings at a higher rate than ever before, per Statcast, and the increased number of hard-hit balls in the air has come back to bite him.

The Reds don’t appear to have an immediate need for starting pitching, with Luis Castillo, Trevor Bauer, Sonny Gray, Anthony DeSclafani and Alex Wood all in the rotation at the moment. It’s possible that Cincinnati could utilize Gausman out of the bullpen or deploy a six-man rotation to keep their arms fresh down the stretch.

The move could very well have been made with an eye toward 2020 as well — as was the case with their acquisition of Bauer. Gausman is controllable via arbitration for the third and final time this winter, although at present he looks like a potential non-tender candidate. Still, perhaps a strong showing to the season will convince the Cincinnati front office that Gausman is deserving of the $10MM+ salary he’d command in arbitration this offseason. If he is able to return to form, Gausman would slot in fourth behind the formidable trio of Bauer, Castillo and Gray.

Braves Release Luiz Gohara

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The Braves announced today that they have released lefty Luiz Gohara. He had been dropped from the 40-man roster as part of the team’s series of deadline moves; obviously, he ultimately cleared waivers.

Gohara, who just turned 23, has shown quite a bit of talent but has been limited by health and personal issues in recent seasons. He has been sidelined all year long and is presently rehabbing a shoulder procedure that is expected to cost him the remainder of the campaign.

It has been a roller-coaster ride for Gohara and the Braves ever since he landed in Atlanta in early 2017. The burly southpaw turned in a superlative 2017 campaign, dominating in a spring through the minors and showing quite a lot of promise in a five-start MLB debut.

Entering the 2018 season, it seemed Gohara would help anchor the Atlanta rotation. But the youngster endured a difficult time emotionally that coincided with arm issues and a battle with his weight. The talent was still evident, but Gohara was not able to have the anticipated impact at the MLB level.

Accordingly, Gohara came into camp this year in search of a rebound. There was cause for hope at the outset, but his balky shoulder proved unwilling. No doubt multiple MLB organizations will show interest in helping the Brazilian hurler try to find his way back to the majors, now that there’s no need to place him on a 40-man roster to do so.

Braves Notes: Pitching, Greinke, Jackson

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The latest from the ATL…

  • While the Braves were heavily linked to the starting pitching market, GM Alex Anthopoulos told reporters (including Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) that the team was “never even remotely close” to landing an arm for the rotation.  “At the end of the day, where we thought there were deals that made sense for us, we felt like the bullpen made the most sense,” Anthopoulos said.  “We definitely tried for other areas, but we obviously couldn’t line up on a deal that made sense for our organization.”  Of course, the Braves already made a noteworthy starting pitching addition in June when Dallas Keuchel was signed, and Anthopoulos’ front office heavily bolstered the pen over the last two days with trades for Shane Greene, Mark Melancon, and Chris Martin.
  • One of the starters the Braves had interest in was the biggest name moved at the trade deadline, as ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports (Twitter link) that the “Braves were in on” negotiations about Zack Greinke with the Diamondbacks.  However, Atlanta ultimately decided “it was just too pricey, and too much risk on an older pitcher.”  The Astros ended up landing Greinke for a big trade package that included four prospects and covering $53MM of Greinke’s salary obligations.
  • Speaking of the Greene deal, the Braves were able to make that trade without including catcher Alex Jackson, as Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports that Atlanta turned down the Tigers’ ask for the 23-year-old prospect.  Jackson is ranked as the the 26th-best prospect in Atlanta’s system by MLB Pipeline, and is in the midst of a huge season at Triple-A (.887 OPS in 283 PA).  Picked sixth overall by the Mariners in the 2014 draft, Jackson’s prospect stock dropped after a slow start to his pro career, though a position switch to catcher three years ago and this season’s hitting breakout has gotten him back on the radar.

Minor MLB Transactions: 7/31/19

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The latest minor moves from around baseball…

  • The Braves have signed outfielder Lane Adams to a minor-league contract, according to Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It won’t be the 29-year-old’s first rodeo with the Braves; he played in 111 games with the club from 2017-2018, posting an overall .818 OPS in that span. His calling card is speed, having stolen 11 bases in his Major League career while not being caught once. There’s swing-and-miss in his game, though: playing in Triple-A with the Phillies’ affiliate, he’s struck out 103 times in 306 plate appearances. As Burns notes, general manager Alex Anthopoulos cited Adams as a player who could appear with the big-league team come September.
  • In one of the day’s lesser trades, the Rockies acquired minor-leaguer Jimmy Herron from the Cubs in exchange for international bonus pool money, per an official Rockies announcement. Herron, a 23-year-old outfielder, was a third-round draft choice by the Cubs last season. He’s played his first full professional season with the Cubs’ High-A affiliate, appearing in 92 games. He’s managed a .220/.320/.336 slash line while stealing 19 bases. MLB Pipeline ranks Herron outside of Cubs’ top 30 prospects.

Braves Designate Luiz Gohara

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The Braves have designated left-hander Luiz Gohara for assignment.

This isn’t much of a birthday present for Gohara, a former high-end prospect who turned 23 today. But health issues, including shoulder problems this year, have dogged Gohara. He hasn’t pitched at all this season, nor will he, having undergone arthroscopic shoulder surgery earlier this month.

When Gohara did take the mound from 2017-18, he totaled 49 major league innings with an unsightly 5.33 ERA. He did, however, log a far superior 3.47 FIP and post terrific strikeout and walk rates (9.0 K/9, 2.94 BB/9) during that span. Gohara spent the majority of last season at the Triple-A level, where he recorded a 4.94 ERA/4.45 FIP with 9.05 K/9 and 2.47 BB/9 in 54 2/3 frames.

Although he’s unavailable this year, it’s conceivable someone will take a chance on Gohara now that he’s in DFA limbo. After all, he’s young, controllable, optionable, and isn’t far removed from a run as a coveted prospect.

Braves Acquire Shane Greene

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The Braves have acquired right-handed closer Shane Greene from the Tigers for left-hander Joey Wentz and outfielder Travis Demeritte, per an announcement from Atlanta.

Greene has posted excellent results this year, but as a reliever with waning control on a rebuilding team, he has looked like an obvious trade candidate throughout the campaign. The 30-year-old’s on a $4MM salary this season and comes with arbitration eligibility for another winter.

Through 38 innings in 2019, Greene has pitched to a measly 1.18 ERA, but that surely won’t hold. His 3.70 FIP, 3.80 xFIP and 3.45 SIERA are all a good distance away, while there’s also a sizable gap between the weighted on-base average Greene has allowed (.221) and his xwOBA (.282). But that’s not to say Greene can’t be a significant asset going forward. He still owns an excellent 10.18 K/9 against 2.84 BB/9, an easily above-average 53.8 percent groundball rate and a solid 14.3 percent infield fly rate.

Greene, who has 22 saves on 25 attempts this season, may take over as the Braves’ closer immediately. Luke Jackson has been serving in the role, though he has blown seven saves on 24 tries. Plus, while Jackson has done good work for most of the year, he has endured an awful stretch in which he has yielded seven earned runs in six appearances dating back to July 12. With Jackson struggling and the NL East-leading Braves lacking an abundance of dependable relievers aside from him, they’ve now reeled in Greene, former Rangers righty Chris Martin and ex-Giants righty Mark Melancon since Tuesday evening.

Wentz, 21, joined the Braves as a sixth-round pick in 2016. He entered the season as the Braves’ 11th-ranked prospect, according to FanGraphs’ Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen, who noted at the time injuries and inconsistency have held Wentz back. He has gotten his first taste of Double-A action this season and put up a 4.72 ERA/4.36 FIP with 8.74 K/9 and 3.93 BB/9 over 103 innings.

The 24-year-old Demeritte did not rank among FanGraphs’ top Braves prospects entering the season, but they noted then he possesses “easy plus power and is passable at multiple positions defensively.” Demeritte has since slashed an outstanding .286/.357/.558 with 20 home runs in 399 plate appearances in his Triple-A debut. A first-round pick (No. 30) of the Rangers in 2013, Demeritte became a Brave via trade in 2016. He’s now on the move again.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported a trade was close. Buster Olney of ESPN reported the Braves had acquired Greene. Jon Morosi of MLB.com tweeted Wentz’s involvement. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Braves To Acquire Mark Melancon

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The Braves and Giants have struck an intriguing pact that’ll send veteran reliever Mark Melancon to Atlanta, according to Jeff Passan and Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Righties Tristan Beck and Dan Winkler are going to the Giants in the deal, Robert Murray of The Athletic tweets. Melancon has full no-trade rights, but consented to the swap.

Melancon is owed a hefty $14MM this year and next. Rather surprisingly, the Braves are taking on all the remaining salary owed Melancon, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link).

Melancon originally joined the San Francisco organization on a four-year, $62MM pact in advance of the 2017 campaign. That contract really hasn’t worked out for the Giants, as Melancon has dealt with injuries and hasn’t been nearly as effective as he was heading into free agency.

That said, he has been a solid pen piece over the past two years. Through 85 1/3 innings since the start of 2018, he carries a 3.38 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9. Importantly, Melancon has held opposing hitters to just five home runs in that span; whether that suppression can be maintained will tell on his future. He owns a monster 61.4% groundball rate this year.

With Melancon and Shane Greene joining the Atlanta relief unit, the club is obviously betting on worm-burners over strikeouts. Both have ample experience closing out games, but neither really profiles as a high-end game finisher for a prime contender. Just how the late innings will be handled remains to be seen.

In Beck, the Giants get a young hurler who has shown a bit of swing-and-miss potential. It’s still early in the developmental process, but the 23-year-old has reached the High-A level already. In eight starts there this year, he carries a 5.65 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9.

Meanwhile, the San Francisco club will see if it can help Winkler rediscovery the form he showed over the prior two seasons, when he emerged as a quality reliever after battling through a litany of injuries. The 29-year-old has stumbled to a 4.98 ERA and allowed five long balls in 21 2/3 frames this year, enduring drops in his strikeout and walk rates (9.1 and 4.6 per nine, respectively) but boosting his swinging-strike rate to 14.8%. Winkler struggled all the more at Triple-A, walking 18 to go with twenty punch-outs in 16 2/3 innings.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Braves To Acquire John Ryan Murphy

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The Braves are set to acquire catcher John Ryan Murphy from the Diamondbacks in exchange for cash considerations, Robert Murray of The Athletic tweets.

It’s a pure depth move to safeguard against injuries to Brian McCann and Tyler Flowers down the stretch — and possibly to roster a third catcher in September. Murphy, 28, is regarded as a premium defensive catcher but has had scant success at the plate in the Majors. He was outrighted off Arizona’s 40-man roster earlier this season after hitting .177/.250/.419 in 69 plate appearances and is a career .219/.265/.357 hitter in 673 MLB trips to the plate.

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