7 players that played for the Braves in 2023 that you probably forgot about
The Braves certainly aren't afraid to throw players out there to see who works and who doesn't.
The Atlanta Braves became the first team in MLB in 2023 to clinch their division last night and they got to do so on the Phillies' home field which was particularly delicious. It was pretty much classic Braves baseball as Austin Riley hit an absolute tank and Spencer Strider shut Philadelphia down across seven innings of work. It was a reminder of just how good and how deep this team really is.
Much has been made of the Braves' depth this season. There isn't a particularly easy place in the lineup for a team to go to for an out (although Sean Murphy's struggles lately have hurt the Braves here) and they seem to have an endless supply of arms to try out when guys get hurt or struggle. However, the Braves' aggressive management of their roster has also meant they have had a LOT of guys cycle through their roster in 2023.
Here are 7 players that played for the Braves this season that you probably forgot about
To be clear, this is a list of guys that have played very brief stints with the Braves this season. This is not a list of guys fans wish they could forget played for the Braves. Yonny Chirinos' time with Atlanta certainly fits on the latter list, but he made a few too many starts to get consideration here.
This list also isn't exhaustive. The Braves have played a lot of players this year and a lot of them have only played in a handful of games. We are going for the more obscure names here and not guys like Darius Vines who are still very much around and could see significantly more time this season and beyond. The line has to be drawn somewhere.
Let's take a look at some of the players that have played for the Atlanta Braves in 2023 that you may have forgotten about.
Daysbel Hernandez
It wasn't all that long ago that Daysbel Hernandez was arguably the best relief prospect in the Braves' farm system. Unfortunately, injuries and inconsistency derailed his career until he was finally able to make it to the big leagues with the Braves in 2023 after not giving up a single earned run in 14 appearances between Double-A and Triple-A.
Sadly, the good times did not last long. Hernandez's stuff continued to look promising, but Hernandez's four game stint with Atlanta yielded a 7.36 ERA and he ultimately went on the 60 day injured list with inflammation in his right forearm.
Taylor Hearn
The Taylor Hearn Era in Atlanta was a quick one. The Braves acquired Hearn for cash from the Rangers in July as one of their attempts to bolster their bullpen ahead of the trade deadline. Hearn made just a single appearance for the Braves and only managed to get a single out while getting torched.
Undeterred, Alex Anthopoulos got to work and flipped Hearn for Nicky Lopez right at the deadline. Lopez has been a great pick up for Atlanta as he has filled in when needed and is a tremendous defender. Meanwhile, Hearn has made eight appearances with the Royals and has an 8.22 ERA in those appearances.
Dereck Rodriguez
Dereck Rodriguez is pretty much the classic quad-A reliever for the Braves. Not exactly good enough to keep around in a good bullpen, per se, but a really useful guy with experience to have in the organization when the Braves need an arm in a pinch. The Braves claimed Rodriguez off of waivers from the Twins back in May and have called him up to the big leagues three separate times in 2023.
Unfortunately for Rodriguez, he has spent more time driving back and forth to Truist Park than he has on the field as he has made a total of two appearances with the Braves in 2023. He has yet to give up a run in the big leagues this season, but he has really struggled over the last couple of months at Triple-A which has made giving him other opportunities much less likely.
Danny Young
Danny Young was honestly one of the more interesting bullpen arms the Braves brought into spring training as he looked good early as a lefty option. He made just eight appearances with the club, but he posted a 1.08 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 8.1 innings of work while getting shuttled back and forth between Atlanta and Gwinnett.
Unfortunately, Young got bit by the injury bug in Gwinnett and it was becoming clear that the Braves saw Young as being further down the bullpen chart even when he was healthy. He ultimately got released in July to make room on the 40 man for Seth Elledge.
Eli White
Do you remember how Eli White took Braves spring training by storm and everyone was wondering how much playing time he was going to get in the outfield in 2023? It is funny to laugh about now, but it was a real thing as White showed out early on. Predictably, it did not last.
White ended up playing six games with the Braves this season and his slash line of .071/.235/.071 left a lot to be desired. Once Eddie Rosario and Kevin Pillar were fully settled in on the big league roster, the whole Braves outfield discussion became moot. White has been hurt off and on since June and Forrest Wall ended up getting an opportunity in the big leagues in White's absence (Wall has been better regardless).
Charlie Culberson
We hope that all of you find something to love as much as the Braves seem to love finding ways to keep Charlie Culberson around. The Braves have signed Charlie back on minor league deals multiple times this season alone as the veteran utilityman has often been the easiest guy to move off the 40 man for other roster moves.
Despite all the moves to keep him around in one way or another, Culberson has just a single plate appearance with the Braves this season and yes, he got a hit. Culberson almost wasn't eligible for this list because there is a small but very vocal population of fans that think Charlie should be the Braves' starting shortstop and will let anyone with ears know it so he is far from forgotten. However, he still makes the cut.
Luke Williams
The only current Brave on this list is Luke Williams and that is because, well, Williams barely plays at all and when it does, it is surprising. With Ehire Adriaza out, Williams has been the Braves' final bench guy since the middle of August. He doesn't bring much to the table offensively, but he can basically play any position in the field other than catcher which is nice.
However, the Braves typically don't give position players much in the way of rest and with Nicky Lopez and Forrest Wall around, they have gotten the scant opportunities that have been available as Williams has appeared in just three games with two total plate appearances. He has scored a run at the very least!
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