One of the most common questions I get (especially this season) is about how players come and go from the minor leagues.
Recalls, demotions, DFAs, waivers. That kind of stuff.
Our pal and beat writer Justin Toscano is here today to explain the process — using an old fan favorite as the example.
Stick around after we take a look at tonight’s matchup.
TONIGHT’S GAME
Braves-Dodgers again, this time at Truist Park. Is Atlanta back and ready to battle the big boys — or walking into another ill-fated fight?
📺 How to watch: First pitch at 7:15 p.m. on FanDuel Sports and PeachtreeTV.
- Saturday and Sunday’s games start at 7:15 p.m. on Fox and 7:10 p.m. on ESPN, respectively.
⚾ The pitching matchups: Tonight brings Grant Holmes (2-1, 4.50) vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (3-2, 1.06).
- We’ll talk more about Yamamoto momentarily.
ABOUT IAN ANDERSON
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
OK, folks: Here’s Braves beat writer Justin Toscano, using his regular Friday visit to break things down a bit.
Ian Anderson was a Brave — and then he wasn’t. And now he is again — well, he’s technically a Gwinnett Striper.
How does this all work?
You might be confused. That’s OK if you are.
Anderson went from the Braves to the Angels to the Braves to the Stripers.
I’ll explain it.
Anderson is out of minor-league options, which means he cannot be optioned to the minor leagues if a team wants to take him off its 26-man roster. He must be designated for assignment, which means he’s either to be placed on waivers or traded.
Two examples:
1️⃣ Late in spring training, the Braves knew Anderson wasn’t going to make the team, so they traded him to the Angels for left-hander Jose Suarez.
2️⃣ About a month later, the Angels designated him for assignment — remember, he cannot be optioned — and the Braves claimed him.
See how that works?
If you’re a casual fan, you were probably confused when Anderson joined the team in Colorado on Monday, only to be designated for assignment the next day. The Braves, though, made a crafty move that worked out.
They placed Anderson on waivers hoping he would pass through and go unclaimed. If that happened, they could keep him in the organization with some more flexibility. They did just this on Thursday, when they announced they outrighted Anderson to Triple-A Gwinnett after he cleared waivers.
➡️ This way, Anderson is part of the organization. He’s in the minors until the Braves need him — if they need him. He’s on their 40-man roster, but not on the 26-man major-league roster.
He’s starting pitching depth for the Braves, who need it with the injuries they’ve gone through this season. Spencer Strider is still out with a hamstring strain. Reynaldo López will be out for at least a couple more months. The Braves might churn through back-of-the-rotation starters depending on how Bryce Elder and AJ Smith-Shawver perform.
➡️ The time in Gwinnett could be a valuable reset for Anderson. After walking 20 batters in 20 innings in spring training, which led to the Braves trading him, he didn’t have a great time in the Angels bullpen. He posted an 11.57 ERA over 9 1/3 innings. He walked seven batters and struck out eight.
Not good.
For Anderson, it begins with throwing strikes. It’s difficult to believe this is his path after that wildly successful stretch of postseason starts. But this is indeed his path.
Maybe he can make it back to his 2020 and 2021 form. Maybe not.
But the Braves will have another opportunity to extract that potential out of him. This time, they won’t immediately lose him if they don’t add him to the big-league roster — as was the case this spring.
Thanks, Justin! Y’all go follow him on social media and stay tuned to AJC.com/braves for all the latest.
A CLOSER LOOK
Credit: Mark J. Terrill/AP
Credit: Mark J. Terrill/AP
The aforementioned Yamamoto, 26, is in his second season in Major League Baseball after several extremely dominant years in Japan.
- Last season, Yamamoto struck out 105 batters in 90 innings over 18 starts. His ERA: 3.00.
- He’s been even better this year, posting a league-best 1.06 ERA.
- His arsenal includes a whopping seven different pitches: four-seamer, splitter, curveball, cutter, sinker, slider, sweeper, in order of frequency.
Alex Verdugo is the only Brave with more than two at-bats against Yamamoto. He’s 0-for-5.
⚾ On Saturday, the newest Japanese addition to L.A.’s lineup will get the start. Roki Sasaki signed with the Dodgers in the offseason — and has a splitter to die for.
THE MYSTERIOUS SHRINKING STRIKE ZONE
Has the strike zone seemed smaller to you this season? You’re not alone — and there’s an explanation.
This story from The Athletic suggests a quiet change to how umpires are evaluated is the culprit.
👀 From the article: “For the past two decades, umpires were working with a ‘buffer zone’ that gave them 2 inches of leeway … when they were graded on how accurately they called balls and strikes.
“Now, however, that buffer zone has shrunk, from 2 inches on all sides to just three-quarters of an inch on all sides.”
DON’T FORGET!
If you’re headed to Truist tonight, make time for pregame performances and food trucks on the plaza green (it’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Night!), plus postgame fireworks.
Festivities before Sunday’s 7:10 p.m. start include Braves alumni Reggie Sanders and Paul Byrd signing autographs, plus Ozzie Albies-themed playing cards for the first 3,000 kids through the gate.
Thanks for reading Braves Report. Tell a friend — and maybe give the AJC’s Sports Daily newsletter a shot, too.
Until next time.
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