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Braves Designate Ian Anderson For Assignment

By Steve Adams | April 29, 2025 at 12:45pm CDT

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.

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Atlanta Braves Transactions AJ Smith-Shawver Ian Anderson

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View Comments (28)
Post a Comment

28 Comments

  1. Bucket Number Six

    3 months ago

    Good thing AJSS is called AJ.

    1
    Reply
    • FrankS3

      3 months ago

      🀣🀣🀣

      Reply
  2. Joe says...

    3 months ago

    He always has his band to fall back on.

    4
    Reply
    • Bart Harley Jarvis

      3 months ago

      I understand he’s concentrating more on jazz flute these days.

      3
      Reply
  3. orange2001

    3 months ago

    Angels, your move…

    4
    Reply
    • Idosteroids

      3 months ago

      they have a chance to do something really funny here

      7
      Reply
    • nukeg

      3 months ago

      The Angels have announced they’ve designated Arturo Moreno for assignment.

      3
      Reply
    • Bucket Number Six

      3 months ago

      That’s Yes.

      Reply
  4. Non Roster Invitee

    3 months ago

    Really don’t mind if you sit this one out.

    3
    Reply
  5. thickiedon

    3 months ago

    Wrong link for Jose Suarez

    Reply
  6. Benjamin101677

    3 months ago

    Braves trying to sneak Anderson through waivers to triple A to work on his stuff for depth. Purpose of the whole claiming and DFA.

    9
    Reply
  7. CubsWin108

    3 months ago

    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

    Reply
    • Sid Bream Speed Demon

      3 months ago

      Like musical teams? You mean musical chairs?

      1
      Reply
    • ThatsIT?

      3 months ago

      Baseball is won with depth.

      Reply
    • Rishi

      3 months ago

      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?

      1
      Reply
    • Rishi

      3 months ago

      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?

      2
      Reply
      • stymeedone

        3 months ago

        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.

        Reply
        • Rishi

          3 months ago

          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.

          Reply
  8. Sean P

    3 months ago

    With good coaching Anderson and McKenzie from CLE could absolutely turn it around. Solid stuff when they are on.

    1
    Reply
  9. uvmfiji

    3 months ago

    Anderson, Kelenic and $20 million for Bret Baty

    Reply
    • Sid Bream Speed Demon

      3 months ago

      πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚clutches side πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚

      3
      Reply
      • Bucket Number Six

        3 months ago

        Tomorrow: Sid Bream has been placed on the 60 day IL with a grade 2 oblique strain.

        1
        Reply
  10. aLifetimeOfDefeats

    3 months ago

    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.

    2
    Reply
    • GrassGreen

      3 months ago

      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.

      Reply
  11. pillow surrealistic

    3 months ago

    Might be time to pick up that flute again.

    Reply
  12. Jean-Claude

    3 months ago

    Life’s A Long Song…

    Reply
  13. GrassGreen

    3 months ago

    Is this a bad game of Hot Potato?

    Reply
  14. bravesfan

    3 months ago

    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

    Reply

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