The Braves have re-signed catcher Chadwick Tromp to a minor league deal, per the transaction tracker of the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers. He was just non-tendered by the Braves last week. Infielder Luke Williams, also non-tendered by Atlanta last week, is back on a minor league deal as well. It’s listed on the transactions tracker as right-handed pitcher Lucas Williams, though that Williams hasn’t pitched in affiliated ball since 2017 and MLBTR has confirmed that the Williams that was recently non-tendered is the one Atlanta re-signed this week. The club also brought minor league free agent Grant Holmes back to the organization on a minor league deal.
Tromp, 29 in March, has received limited big league opportunities in each of the past four years. He was with the Giants in 2020 and 2021 then Atlanta in the past two years, getting into a combined 40 games over that four-year span. He has hit .222/.225/.414 in his 102 career plate appearances. He spent most of 2023 on optional assignment, getting into 65 games at that level, hitting 10 home runs and walking in 16% of his plate appearances. His overall batting line of .210/.336/.384 was still subpar, translating to a wRC+ of 84.
Atlanta non-tendered Tromp last week even though he wasn’t yet arbitration eligible. By doing so, they made him a free agent without exposing him to waivers, which allowed them to quickly re-sign him this week in a non-roster capacity. They have Sean Murphy and Travis d’Arnaud set to serve as the major league catching duo but those are now the only two backstops on the roster. Tromp will give them a bit of depth in Triple-A to be called upon if an injury creates a need. If he gets added back to the roster next year, he still has one option year remaining.
Williams, 27, is an infielder that Atlanta claimed from the Dodgers in June. He has 148 games of major league experience dating back to 2021, bouncing to the Phillies, Giants and Marlins before getting to the Dodgers and Atlanta. He’s hit just .225/.281/.295 in the majors but has at least provided defensive versatility, playing every position except catcher. He’s also stolen 17 bases in 23 attempts.
Atlanta has a great lineup already but only has 11 hitters on the 40-man roster right now, leaving their bench and position player depth pretty open. Williams can give them some cover all over the diamond without taking up a roster spot for the time being. If added back onto the roster during the upcoming season, he still has an option and can therefore be shuttled to the minors without being exposed to waivers.
Holmes, 28 in March, was a first round pick of the Dodgers in 2014 but has yet to make his major league debut. He was with Gwinnett on a minor league deal in 2023 and tossed 61 relief innings with a 3.54 earned run average, 28.7% strikeout rate and 10.1% walk rate. If added to the roster at any point next year, he’ll be out of options since he spent 2019-2021 on the A’s roster and burned through his option years.
