The 2025 season is winding down, but that isn't stopping the Atlanta Braves from keeping themselves busy. On Friday, the Braves just added Alek Manoah to the list of waiver claims they have made over the last couple of months that has reached dizzying proportions. If you thought Atlanta would make that their final roster move, you were sorely mistaken.
The trick this final weekend is getting through the last couple of games without getting anyone hurt or putting players, especially bullpen arms, in a position to get beat up because of fatigue. While it may look weird at first, the Braves' decision to option Hurston Waldrep back to the minors in favor of recalling Hayden Harris has everything to do with covering the season's final innings.
Braves option Hurston Waldrep back to the minors, bring up Hayden Harris for the final weekend
The logic here is straightforward. Spencer Strider is getting the start on Saturday and Chris Sale is going to handle the bulk of the work on Sunday with Charlie Morton serving as the opener in what should be the final appearance of his career. Other than those three pitchers, Atlanta has no use for any other starters the rest of the season. With Waldrep absolutely not pitching again this season, he is an easy choice to option if a roster spot was needed.
In the closing games of the season, the Braves are not going to play anyone that they don't want to and will likely protect arms like Raisel Iglesias, Pierce Johnson, and Tyler Kinley from late season overuse. Bringing up Harris, who had a decent cameo appearance earlier in the season and has been very good out of Triple-A Gwinnett's bullpen, gives Atlanta another option out of the bullpen and should help them spread the workload around this weekend if the need arises.
Nothing has changed about Waldrep's outlook. While he has areas where he can improve, Waldrep has clearly earned a spot in next season's rotation unless he completely craters in spring training. This move is all about end of season bookkeeping and nothing more.