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Braves Select Michael Reed, Place Peter Moylan On DL

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The Braves announced a series of roster moves Monday, selecting the contract of outfielder Michael Reed from Triple-A Gwinnett and optioning right-hander Matt Wisler to Gwinnett as well. Atlanta also placed Peter Moylan on the 10-day DL due to a right forearm strain and recalled righty Evan Phillips from Gwinnett in his place.

It’ll be the first MLB action for Reed, 25, since a brief look with the Brewers in 2015-16. He joined the Atlanta organization this past offseason and has turned plenty of heads since doing so, batting a combined .337/.460/.535 with nine homers and 21 doubles in an even 300 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A. Reed’s work in Gwinnett has been especially impressive, as he’s raked at a .369/.480/.592 pace.

While the power he’s shown is encouraging, Reed has somehow managed to maintain an unfathomable .532 BABIP through his 125 plate appearances in Gwinnett — a substantial step forward from the still-unsustainable .426 mark he displayed in 175 PAs in Double-A. Given those figures and the fact that he’s whiffed at a 29 percent clip in Triple-A this season, there’s reason to temper expectations. That said, he also presents a right-handed-hitting complement to outfielders Ender Inciarte and Nick Markakis — and one who can capably handle all three outfield spots for that matter.

Moylan, 38, was enjoying a strong season up through mid-June, but he’s been clobbered for seven earned runs on eight hits (three homers) and four walks with just two strikeouts in his past 4 2/3 innings — a span of eight appearances. The Aussie sidearmer is typically deadly against right-handed opponents, but righties have had no trouble with him in 2018, hitting .315/.405/.493 through 86 plate appearances. It’s not clear at this time how long Moylan is expected to be sidelined, though forearm strains come with a fairly ominous connotation.

In Moylan’s place, Phillips will get his first look at the big league level. While the Braves technically selected his contract for the first time in June, he was optioned back to Triple-A before ever appearing in a Major League game. He’s been superb in Gwinnett so far this season, averaging 13.5 strikeouts against 3.3 walks per nine innings pitched, en route to a 2.09 ERA through 38 2/3 frames out of the ’pen.

Notable International Prospect Signings

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With the 2018-19 international signing period kicking off today, there will be dozens of six- and seven-figure bonuses handed out to teenage prospects, primarily out of Latin America, filtering in throughout the day today. Many of these have been in the works for quite some time, as is reflected by the fact that most of the top players’ destinations and signing bonuses have been previously reported/projected (and by the fact that the top agreements will all be reported in one swift avalanche today).

We’ll keep track of the notable National League signings here and the notable American League signings in a separate post. Note that you can read up on each of these players with the dedicated international coverage available from Ben Badler of Baseball America (subscription required), Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com and Kiley McDaniel & Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs, each of whom has scouting info on the top echelon of international amateurs. Badler is also tracking the all of the signings from all 30 teams.

Onto some of the more notable signings…

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Olney: Braves Are Buyers

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  • The Red Sox and Braves are among other contenders that could be in the market for bullpen help, according to Olney. In Boston’s case, Olney notes that it may take on a high-priced reliever from another team in a salary dump, thanks to its thin farm system. The Braves, meanwhile, don’t have the spending ability of clubs like the Red Sox and division-rival Phillies, but they are set to act as buyers as they seek their first playoff berth since 2013. Philadelphia, which hasn’t clinched a playoff berth since 2011, will also buy, Olney relays. Entering Sunday, the Braves (47-34) lead the Phillies (44-37) by three games for the NL East lead, but the latter is in possession of a wild-card spot at the moment.

Braves Designate Peter Bourjos For Assignment

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The Braves have designated outfielder Peter Bourjos for assignment, the team announced on Twitter.  In a corresponding move, southpaw Max Fried has been called up from Triple-A to start tonight’s game against the Cardinals.

Signed to a minor league contract near the end of Spring Training, Bourjos was released by the Braves at the end of April and then quickly re-signed to a new minors deal.  The veteran outfielder hasn’t provided much at the plate (.205/.239/.364 slash line in 47 PA), though his primary role in Atlanta has been serving as a late-game defensive replacement, usually in left field.

With Ronald Acuna now back from the disabled list and stepping back into the starting left field role, Bourjos became expendable, though the Braves are likely hoping that he can slip from waivers and remain in the organization as center field depth.  Acuna and backups Danny Santana and Charlie Culberson are all imperfect fill-ins behind everyday center fielder Ender Inciarte, while Bourjos has long been a capable-to-very good defender throughout his career.

This is the third time Fried has been promoted to the MLB roster this season, and the left-hander has contributed a 4.09 ERA and 13 strikeouts (plus a troubling seven walks) over 11 innings of work.  He has yet to receive an extended look at the big league level either this year or after making his Major League debut in 2017, though Fried could get more of an opportunity now that Brandon McCarthy and Mike Soroka are both on the disabled list.  Fried was ranked as a top-100 prospect by Baseball America (which had him 72nd) and MLB.com (83rd) prior to the season.

Braves Activate Ronald Acuna, Place Brandon McCarthy On DL

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The Braves announced Thursday that they’ve activated Ronald Acuna Jr. from the disabled list and placed veteran right-hander Brandon McCarthy on the 10-day DL due to tendinitis in his right knee. Atlanta also optioned righty Wes Parsons back to Triple-A Gwinnett just a day after he had his contract selected and recalled righty Matt Wisler from Gwinnett.

Acuna, 20, has been out since May 28 due to a knee contusion and a mild sprain of his left ACL, but he figures to return to an everyday role in left field, joining Ender Inciarte and Nick Markakis in a productive Braves outfield. The game’s consensus top prospect to open the season, Acuna did nothing to suggest he wasn’t deserving of such high praise in his first taste of the Majors, hitting .265/.326/.453 with five homers and seven doubles through 129 plate appearances in spite of his youth.

McCarthy, soon to be 35, has had his share of struggles in Atlanta this year, compiling a 4.92 ERA with 7.4 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, 1.72 HR/9 and a 48 percent ground-ball rate. To McCarthy’s credit, most of the damage done against him came in a pair of brutal starts at the beginning of May, when he yielded 14 runs over a combined 8 1/3 innings. The righty pitched quite well in the month of April and, since that ugly pair of consecutive outings in May, has worked to a respectable 4.23 ERA with a pristine 35-to-6 K/BB ratio in 38 1/3 frames.

[Related: Atlanta Braves depth chart]

With McCarthy going on the shelf and Mike Soroka now out until at least late August, the Braves’ rotation consists of Sean Newcomb, Mike Foltynewicz, Julio Teheran and Anibal Sanchez. Wisler, Max Fried, Luiz Gohara and Lucas Sims are among the options already on the 40-man roster that could step up and make some starts in lieu of McCarthy.

At 45-34, the Braves still hold the the lead of the NL East by two and a half games despite the fact that their play has slipped a bit as of late. Atlanta has played at a .500 clip this month and is 5-5 over its past 10 games, but neither the Nationals nor the Phillies have made up any substantial ground in the division during that time.

Braves Select Contract Of Wes Parsons, Move Mike Soroka To 60-Day DL

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10:04am: To create 40-man space, the Braves moved young righty Mike Soroka to the 60-day disabled list. That means he’ll be on the shelf for quite some time, as he only went on the DL last Friday.

Clearly, the Atlanta organization anticipated that it would need to give Soroka’s ailing shoulder a lengthy rest. He already sat for a month before inflammation again cropped up, and this time he’ll miss at least twice that time.

The prized hurler will first be eligible to return to action on August 21st. It is not yet known whether the team anticipates that Soroka will be physically ready to return at that time.

9:46am: The Braves will select the contract of righty Wes Parsons today, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman was among those to report (Twitter links). It is not yet known how the organization will clear a 40-man spot. To create space on the active roster, though, the Braves will option righty Matt Wisler.

Parsons, now 25, originally joined the organization as an undrafted free agent. He has climbed the ladder steadily ever since, but really emerged last year at the Double-A level. In 103 total innings there, over ten starts and 16 relief appearances, Parsons worked to a 2.71 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 as well as a 54.2% groundball rate.

The success has continued into the 2018 campaign, with Parsons functioning almost exclusively as a starter. He has thrown 64 1/3 frames, split about evenly between Double-A and Triple-A, with a cumulative 2.10 ERA and peripherals that line up with his 2017 showing.

It seems likely that Parsons will contribute to the relief corps out of the gates. He may not be up for long, depending upon how the roster needs shake out. Now that he’s on the 40-man, though, Parsons could certainly be called upon at any moment — even in the rotation, perhaps, if that proves necessary.

Braves Interested In Adrian Beltre

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  • Also from Cafardo, he adds the Red Sox and Braves to the list of teams with some interest in veteran third baseman Adrian Beltre.  With Rafael Devers on Boston’s big league roster and Braves top prospect Austin Riley looming at Triple-A, both teams could make sense for a short-term upgrade like Beltre, who is only signed through this season.  While Beltre seems like a natural trade chip for a Rangers team that is well out of contention, there still remains some speculation as to whether or not Texas will actually move him, as the team heavily values Beltre’s leadership and wants him on the roster in 2019.  Beltre also has no-trade protection via 10-and-5 rights.  Still, the Rangers are at least shopping Beltre (and other players) to gauge trade interest, and it can’t hurt that multiple contenders could be in the market for third base help.

Braves Had Interest In Kelvin Herrera

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  • The Braves were one of the teams interested in Kelvin Herrera before the Royals dealt the reliever to the Nationals.  Kansas City simply “saw the Nats as a better match” for a trade, and as Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos implied in a podcast appearance earlier this week, it seems like Atlanta wasn’t willing to meet the Royals’ asking price.  It remains to be seen how this decision could impact the NL East race, as the Braves not only saw Herrera join a division rival, but their own closer (Arodys Vizcaino) on the disabled list today.  Heyman does speculate about one silver lining for the Braves, however, as the fact that they’ve already had some talks with the Royals could help lay groundwork for a Mike Moustakas trade.  Overall, Heyman notes that the Braves would prefer to wait before making any big deals, as the team still isn’t quite sure what will end up being its biggest deadline need.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Braves Place Arodys Vizcaino On DL, Select Evan Phillips, DFA Phil Gosselin

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The Braves have selected right-handed reliever Evan Phillips from Triple-A Gwinnett, Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. They’ll send closer Arodys Vizcaino to the disabled list (retroactive to June 21) to open up a 25-man spot for Phillips, Burns adds, and designate infielder Phil Gosselin for assignment to create 40-man space, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com.

Phillips, who joined the Braves as a 17th-round pick in 2015, is set to make his major league debut after opening the season in impressive fashion in the minors. Across 35 innings this season, the 23-year-old has pitched to a 2.31 ERA with 12.86 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a 50.7 percent groundball rate. Phillips doesn’t rank among the Braves’ top 30 prospects at MLB.com or their 32 best farmhands at FanGraphs, though FG’s Eric Longenhagen wrote entering 2017 that his three-pitch mix “may work in middle relief.”

The Braves’ hope is that Phillips will help make up for the loss of Vizcaino, who has dealt with shoulder soreness throughout the season. Thanks in part to that, Vizcaino hasn’t pitched since last Sunday. When he has taken the hill, Vizcaino has continued to show off high-end velocity, helping him to convert 15 of 17 save opportunities and post a 1.82 ERA with 10.01 K/9 and 3.64 BB/9. A.J. Minter and Dan Winkler stand out as the Braves’ best ninth-inning possibilities while Vizcaino’s out, though his shoulder issues could also help push the playoff contenders to acquire veteran relief help prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

Gosselin, 29, joined the Braves off waivers from the Reds on May 3. It’s his second stint as a member of the Braves, though he hasn’t actually played with the club this season. Gosselin has instead racked up 126 PAs at Gwinnett and hit .236/.325/.364.

Braves Notes: Vizcaino, Tucker

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  • Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino is battling right shoulder soreness, which has been a concern throughout the season, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Vizcaino had a cortisone injection this week, per Bowman, and manager Brian Snitker noted that “there are times, he’s going to have to be down just to get him through the year.” Despite the 27-year-old’s shoulder issues, the first-place Braves weren’t interested in ponying up for fellow late-game option Kelvin Herrera, whom the division-rival Nationals acquired from the Royals this week.
  • More on the Braves, who optioned outfielder Preston Tucker to Triple-A on Saturday and recalled right-hander Lucas Sims, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Tucker helped hold the fort down in the outfield before the promotion of now-injured super prospect Ronald Acuna in late April, though the former’s output has fallen off dramatically as the season has progressed. After posting a respectable 105 wRC+ in April, Tucker fell to 76 in May and 42 this month.
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