The Atlanta Braves are making roster moves to get ready for Friday’s opener.
This morning, the Atlanta Braves announced a pair of changes to the 40-man roster, signals that more would come shortly. The ‘other shoe’ is now dropping.
First, the early changes:
#Braves put RH Jacob Webb on the 45-day IL for a right shoulder strain. Kid is very talented, but having a hard time staying healthy.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) July 21, 2020
Braves also put LH Phil Pfeifer on the 45-day IL with a left elbow bone contusion.
It’s hard to know exactly how serious each of these injuries truly is, but the upshot is this: with a full 40-man roster, tweaks needed to be made and rather than lose these pitchers to the waiver wire, their “injuries” have effectively sidelined them for the season (technically not, but they almost certainly would not have fit into the Braves’ plans for this Summer, regardless).
So congratulations, Jacob and Phil: you’ve been promoted to the majors… if for no other purpose than to be IL’d for the duration.
But there’s a bigger purpose involved here: in placing these pitchers on the extended Injury List, spots are freed up to permit Atlanta to add some of their depth pieces on the hitting side: with 24 pitchers and 16 hitters on the 40-man roster, things were a bit unbalanced.
Not to worry:
The #Braves have selected the contract of INF/OF Charlie Culberson to the Major League roster.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 21, 2020
Okay, Charlie Culberson now becomes the 39th name counting against the 40-man limit… so who’s number 40?
Matt Adams is serving as #Braves DH after signing a minor league contract yesterday. https://t.co/mAXsLVhxzJ
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) July 21, 2020
The Braves are taking their time with announcing this last spot, but it’s almost certainly Matt Adams‘ position to lose, and he will be in the lineup against the Marlins tonight.
Other Atlanta Braves News
Because Freeman and Toussaint are still on the COVID list, the Braves still have four spots open. Freeman is expected to be ready for Opening Day. Toussaint may be given a little more time to prepare. https://t.co/qAxWGNqPwz
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 21, 2020
That’s technically true, as the COVID-IL (a) allows players to be replaced in the same manner as extended IL assignments do; and (b) the length of stay on the COVID-IL list is determined by negative virus tests and not a calendar.
Josh Tomlin and Yonder Alonso were recently added to the 40-man roster. There is room for them to remain, too. Bowman neglected to mention Will Smith and Pete Kozma – the other positive testers, so there turns out to have been several ways for the Braves to work the rules to their advantage.
The more curious case involves Will Smith. Expected to be an anchor for the bullpen, he’s been unable to pitch and it’s still unclear — three days before the season begins — just when he might return to action.
These prior changes allowed Atlanta to promote Yonder Alonso and Josh Tomlin. More changes will be needed as we progress through the season, but so far, it’s looking like depth on the bench is the priority – even if it means setting some guys down for the year.