10:45am: As expected, Luetge has indeed opted to remain with the Braves and accept his outright assignment, writes Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
9:35am: The Braves announced Tuesday that left-handed reliever Lucas Luetge went unclaimed on outright waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett. Atlanta also announced this morning that right-hander Roddery Munoz will be recalled from Triple-A, setting the stage for the 23-year-old reliever’s big league debut. They had an open 40-man spot after optioning righty Michael Soroka yesterday.
The 36-year-old Luetge, who’d been designated for assignment over the weekend, has the right to reject that assignment in favor of free agency by virtue of both Major League service time (four-plus years) and a prior outright assignment in his career. However, because he doesn’t yet have five years of MLB service, electing free agency would mean forfeiting the remainder of this year’s $1.55MM salary. As such, it seems quite likely he’ll accept and remain in the Braves organization without occupying a spot on the 40-man roster.
Luetge joined the Braves over the winter in a trade that sent minor league infielder Caleb Durbin and minor league reliever Indigo Diaz back to the Yankees. Luetge had been somewhat of a surprise DFA by the Yankees, but the decision to move on from the lefty in exchange for a pair of mid-level minor leaguers — both of whom have played well thus far in 2023 — looks defensible given Luetge’s struggles in 2023.
Thus far, Luetge has appeared in nine games with the Braves but been tagged for 11 runs on 15 hits and six walks through just 9 2/3 frames. After striking out a quarter of his opponents against a 5.8% walk rate in two years with the Yankees, the southpaw has fanned a diminished 22.2% of his opponents and issued walks to 13.3% of them. It’s a small sample, but Luetge has also seen his swinging-strike rate plummet from 12.7% to just 8.1%, while the velocity on his cutter has dipped to a career-low 87.1 mph.
Luetge also spent more than a month on the injured list with inflammation in his left biceps, so it’s possible there’s a physical reason for this year’s struggles. Whatever the root of the issue, he’ll now quite likely look to get back on track with the Braves’ Gwinnett affiliate and earn another look in the big leagues.
As for Munoz, he’s moved to the bullpen in 2023 after spending the majority of his prior professional career as a starter. The Braves signed the 6’2″ righty out of the Dominican Republic back in 2018, and he’s pitched his way into becoming one of the more promising arms in a relatively thin Braves system. Baseball America and MLB.com ranked him 22nd and 21st among Atlanta farmhands, respectively, both touting a potentially plus slider and mid-90s heater. Munoz’s changeup is regarded as a below-average pitch, however, and his command has clear room for refinement.
So far in 2023, Munoz has split the season between Double-A and Triple-A, working to a combined 4.94 ERA in 27 1/3 frames. He’s walked nearly as many of his 126 opponents (20) as he’s struck out (24). He’s avoided home runs and kept the ball on the ground at a strong 46% clip, but it’s been a tough season on the whole. That said, he’s allowed just one run and fanned 14 over his past 11 innings, albeit with seven walks and a pair of hit batters in that time continuing to shine a light on his sub-par command.
