The Braves announced they’ve selected reliever Lucas Luetge onto the 40-man roster. Since he’s out of minor league option years, he’ll need to be added to the MLB club before tomorrow’s game against the White Sox. To clear a spot on the 40-man, the Braves designated righty Roddery Muñoz for assignment.
Luetge returns a month after being outrighted off the roster. The veteran southpaw had only made nine appearances after heading over from the Yankees in an offseason trade. He allowed 11 runs in 9 2/3 innings around a month-long injured list stint before being put on waivers.
After going unclaimed, Luetge reported to Triple-A Gwinnett. Doing so allowed him to retain the $1.55MM salary to which he’d agreed in avoiding arbitration over the winter. In a matching 9 2/3 frames with Gwinnett, he’s allowed four runs (three earned) with a quality 8:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
That secured him another spot in the MLB bullpen. Luetge joins A.J. Minter as the only left-handers in the relief corps while Dylan Lee is on the injured list. While the soft-tossing veteran struggled in his early-season look in Atlanta, he posted a 2.71 ERA and struck out a quarter of opponents with New York between 2021-22.
Luetge’s outright assignment was long enough he won’t surpass the five-year service threshold this season as originally scheduled. He’ll be eligible for arbitration two more times before hitting the six-year mark, but that could prove a moot point. If Luetge doesn’t perform well down the stretch, he’ll be a non-tender candidate next winter anyhow.
Muñoz, 23, has yet to make his MLB debut. He was added to the 40-man roster last offseason and briefly appeared on the big league club in June. He didn’t get into a game. Muñoz has spent the majority of the season on optional assignment to Gwinnett. He has a 4.28 ERA through 27 1/3 innings as a multi-inning reliever. Muñoz’s 22% strikeout rate is only a little below average but he’s walking over 15% of batters faced.
The control woes push the 6’2″ hurler off the roster. Atlanta will have a week to trade him or put him on waivers. If another club acquires him, they could keep him in the minors for the foreseeable future. Muñoz is in his first of three option seasons.
Are they letting go of Munoz? Seems a bit weird. So many other dfa 40 man clearing simpler moves…..strange.
This guy is a batting practice pitcher at best.
Good for Lucas…he’s a good guy, a team player, and can be an effective left-handed thrower for the Braves down the stretch…..
He’s pitched to a 10.24 for the Braves this year. They’ve DFA’d at least once.
I hate that the Braves and so many other teams are still stuck on the mindset of having multiple lefties in the pen. The situational leftie need was minimized by the must face three hitters rule. Now to use them situationally they would have to face multiple lefties out of the three, or be brought in mid-inning to face a leftie or two for third out. The need hasn’t gone completely away, but it has been minimized, especially if they can’t get the leftie out and the innings continues to right handed hitters.
Worse yet, the Braves have never seem to bother with splits anyway. It seems they just assume every LHP can get LHB’s out better than any RHP’s they have in the pin. That just isn’t always the case and the Braves don’t seem to bother with that.
For instance:
Nick Anderson (right handed pitcher) – BA – OBP – SLG – OPS
– vs RHB (74ab’s) – 297 – 361 – 487 – 848
– vs LHB (57ab’s) – 140 – 155 – 211 – 366
Yes, you read that correctly. He has massive reverse splits this year, and he is just the first guy I looked at. I still bet the Braves would bring in a leftie the face a leftie instead of Anderson 100% of the time.
Joe Jimenez
– vs RHB (73 ab’s) – 260 – 333 – 425 – 758
– vs LHB (46 ab’s) – 170 – 208 – 348 – 556
– again, massive reverse splits
And for the final kicker, let’s look at A.J. Minter. The Braves left-handed setup man.
– vs RHB (102 ab’s) – 226 – 245 – 353 – 598
– vs LHB (44 ab’s) – 250 – 346 – 364 – 710
– yep, reverse splits again, yet you can bet every time a LHB comes up Snitker is going to call for Minter
I understand the ‘old-school’ logic before managers really paid much attention to splits, but surely in today’s world they would dig deeper. Maybe I am just making the assumption they don’t but it never fails to see them just go to the old school matchup over statistical matchups.
Yeah, but the other manager still switches to a RH bat when the lefty comes in. So there’s that.
It hasn’t occurred to you that maybe the reverse splits are a product of teams letting these guys pitch to left handed batters who aren’t very good? You don’t think if they were really “that good” vs lefties the teams wouldn’t utilize them in those situations more?
I have thought about that, and while that might occasionally happen, they are generally brought in to face righties and have to pitch to a leftie coming up in the order. I don’t think the Braves (or most clubs for that matter) think as much about the quality of the leftie as they do about just putting a rightie in to face a rightie.
Totally agree. The Braves cling to this idea that lefties are always the better option against lefties.
It’s the strangest thing to bring in a worse pitcher in a key moment just because he’s left handed but the Braves have done this for years. I’m sure other clubs do it too I just don’t watch them as much
They do this with hitters too. I can’t tell you how many at bats Greg Norton got off the bench because he was a left handed bat and a right handed pitcher was on the mound, all while hitting a crisp .100 on the season lol
Edit
Just looked it up…. 95 games with 97 plate appearances lmao. I know there was an occasional start in there but he was basically the first guy off the bench to pinch hit in like 85 of those games is my guess.
lol Greg Norton….it drove me crazy everytime Cox pinched him in a key situation Nortons last season. He was super loyal to him for some odd reason. Although he was pretty good the season before.
How about in the WS vs Blue Jays when Bobby put Gant in to hit vs a lefty in final game? Gant was struggling. He subbed him for Deion Sanders who was absolutely killing it in the playoffs.
Laughable. The Braves, like most teams in MLB don’t just consider a blanket LvL and RvR pitcher v batter match up. They look at individual match ups from the batter and pitcher perspective and also general match up for the hitter vs a RHP or LHP.
Minter is the only lefty that they have in the bullpen .. Unless they move Allard there later .
I forgot Luetge was in Gwinnett. Hopefully he has some magic left.
Ain’t no magic like that 10.24 ERA magic!
Dude, you’re overthinking things here. They have 1 lefty in the pen and Snitker rarely changes pitchers mid inning. The Braves carry the best relievers they can regardless of throwing arm.
They’re bringing up Lucas because he was a great reliever 2019-2022 and pitched well in AAA after getting sent down. If he stinks again they’ll DFA him and call up the next best option.
He’s stunk already this year and has been DFA’d by the Braves.
I don’t really think a former MLB pitcher hitting a near 4 ERA in the minors is ‘pitching well’, especially a reliever given their ERA’s are generally lower than all but frontline starters. He has been passable since going to Gwinnett, but Elledge has been better if you are looking for ‘best arm’.
There is no doubt his past experience is a factor, but if you don’t think the whole ‘we only have one lefty’ in the pen played as big or bigger role you are kidding yourself.
Braves are notorious for making their pitchers work batters on both sides of the plate. I do understand the logistics of wanting specialists, but there are some things to say for having pitchers like that down the stretch, especially in the playoffs. It puts more value on the pitcher, long term as well.
Losing Nick Anderson out of the pen leaves a considerable hole. There must be considerable doubt about his availability again this season. One can only hope JJ can keep on his good form.
If the Angels decide to sell I’d love to have Estevez from the Angels.
Estevez isn’t going anywhere, the Angels will be buyers, not sellers. If you think that’s crazy, I have 2 words for you: Arte Moreno.
One has to wonder if he isn’t being punished due to guilt by name association to Josh Lueke.
Where is Jesse, He just got hit by a ball?
Please,Please,Please, don’t put him in a game.
@bravesnation You must not watch Braves games! Jesse is pitching great this year!