The Braves announced Tuesday that they’ve designated righty Ian Anderson for assignment. His roster spot will go to fellow right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver, who has been recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett and will start today’s game for Atlanta.
Anderson only just returned to the Braves two days ago, when Atlanta claimed him off waivers from the Angels. He’d landed in Anaheim after the Braves and Halos swapped a pair of struggling, out-of-options pitchers in Anderson and lefty Jose Suarez. The deal didn’t pan out for either party. Anderson was torched for a dozen earned runs in 9 1/3 innings with the Angels. Suarez held opponents to two runs in seven innings but walked more batters (seven) than he struck out (five) and has already passed through waivers unclaimed.
Anderson didn’t get into a game with the Braves in this most recent stint. He hasn’t pitched a big league frame for Atlanta since back in 2022, when he stumbled through 111 2/3 innings with an even 5.00 ERA. The right-hander required Tommy John surgery the following season and went on to miss all of the 2023 season and a notable portion of the 2024 campaign.
Though his overall track record in the majors isn’t all that eye-catching (4.22 ERA in 281 2/3 innings), Anderson is a former No. 3 overall draft pick who ranked among the sport’s top pitching prospects prior to his debut. He made good on that fanfare with 160 2/3 innings of 3.25 ERA ball during his first two seasons, punching out 24.5% of opponents against a 10% walk rate.
Injuries have played a major role in derailing Anderson’s career. He stands as a reminder that while it’s easy to look at Tommy John surgery as commonplace throughout MLB, it’s nonetheless a major surgery from which a return to form is hardly guaranteed.
Anderson’s velocity still hasn’t bounced all the way back following the procedure. He averaged 94.6 mph on his four-seamer back in 2021 but sat at 92.8 mph out of the rotation in the minors last year. He averaged 93.7 mph with the Angels in 2025 despite working in short relief stints. Similarly, his command — never a strong point to begin with — has been shaky. He walked nearly 12% of his Triple-A opponents last year and walked 13.7% of his opponents during his brief Angels tenure.
The Braves will have five days to place Anderson on outright waivers or trade him. Waivers would be another 48-hour process. He’ll be in DFA limbo for a maximum of one week. Anderson doesn’t have minor league options remaining, so any team that trades for him or claims him off waivers will need to plug him directly onto the big league roster.
Good thing AJSS is called AJ.
🤣🤣🤣
He always has his band to fall back on.
I understand he’s concentrating more on jazz flute these days.
Angels, your move…
they have a chance to do something really funny here
The Angels have announced they’ve designated Arturo Moreno for assignment.
That’s Yes.
Really don’t mind if you sit this one out.
Wrong link for Jose Suarez
Braves trying to sneak Anderson through waivers to triple A to work on his stuff for depth. Purpose of the whole claiming and DFA.
why do the braves keep schuffling around the same players like musicial teams
im sry this aint some big brain stuff they are the ONLY team in MLB that does this
Like musical teams? You mean musical chairs?
Baseball is won with depth.
We shouldn’t lump all those together. Surely scooping up your former highest draft pick in decades for depth (not to mention a former key contributor with years of control left) isn’t comparable to a Luke Jackson reunion, for instance. They only let him go because he was out of options and they may have gotten two depth options out of it (Suarez and Anderson). They have little depth. What is the risk?
In general in any business you are better off with guys you know well than taking fliers on guys you don’t. Doesn’t mean it’s gonna work but if they are available for nothing why not?
In general in any business you are better off with guys you know well than taking fliers on guys you don’t, only if the guys you know can actually do a passable job. If they can’t do a passable job, you take a flier, because it can’t be worse.
Well let’s look at these players. Even Eddie Rosario was signed and brought up by the best organization in the sport already this year. It is really a case of few alternatives. Chavez has been valuable overall the past few seasons. Tyler Matzek was signed and brought up by a World Series team. Luke Jackson (who was included largely for salary reasons in the Soler trade) is pitching well for a good club and in 23 pitched well. These are guys getting chances on good teams. So is it really so hard to see why an organization that knows them so well gave them a chance? They were all post-injury/rehabbing players besides Rosario and Chavez. The Braves have been doing this for decades. And despite recency bias it has worked very often, created deep bonds, and given them a reputation as a team that values their guys.
With good coaching Anderson and McKenzie from CLE could absolutely turn it around. Solid stuff when they are on.
Anderson, Kelenic and $20 million for Bret Baty
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂clutches side 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Tomorrow: Sid Bream has been placed on the 60 day IL with a grade 2 oblique strain.
I’d like to see the Braves convert him to a reliever and see if that can fix him. The White Sox seemed to get Soroka back on track by moving him to the pen last year and he was able to get a chance to start again for Washington this year.
That’s what I’ve been saying. Hoped the Angels would do it since Ron Washington knows Anderson. The guy likes pressure but needs more work post surgery.
Might be time to pick up that flute again.
Life’s A Long Song…
Is this a bad game of Hot Potato?
I assure you they did this in a effort to get him through waivers back in the minor league system. I said it before, but it’s bad PR to just cut a failed 1st round pick and postseason hero. That’s why traded him, so at least it appears that we got something in return for him. Now that another team (one worse than the Braves) has DFA’d him, use doing the same doesn’t come across as bad, again from a PR standpoint. And I do truly think the Braves want and think they can, get him back to at least a shell of his former self. Perhaps not the same dude, but a shell