The Atlanta Braves announced this morning the return of A.J. Minter to the big leagues after his rehab stint in Gwinnett. The club also optioned top prospect and yesterday’s starting pitcher, AJ Smith-Shawver, back down to Triple-A Gwinnett.
In the final piece of news the club announced recently acquired infielder, Nicky Lopez, has reported to the team in Atlanta, and fan favorite, Charlie Culberson has once again been designated for assignment.
The #Braves today returned LHP A.J. Minter from his rehabilitation assignment and reinstated him from the 15-day injured list, after optioning RHP AJ Smith-Shawver to Triple-A Gwinnett following yesterday’s game.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 31, 2023
Additionally, the club reported INF Nicky Lopez to Atlanta and…
The Minter news is the most exciting is this news piece, as the Braves bullpen has been a bit shaky to say the least in his absence. Outside of Raisel Iglesias, Atlanta did not really have any high-leverage relievers they trusted. With Minter back that will no longer be the case.
The option of yesterday’s starting pitcher, AJ Smith-Shawver as the corresponding move was to be expected, especially with news their ace, Max Fried could be returning within the week. Smith-Shawver wasn’t super impressive but did enough to let the Braves finish off the sweep of Milwaukee yesterday. He’ll likely finish out the rest of the season in Triple-A and continue to gain important experience on the mound.
Finally, in the last piece of news, Atlanta has now decided the defense that Nicky Lopez can provide makes him the right choice for the club’s backup infielder. This resulted in the DFA of Culberson, and likely signals the last time we will see him with the big league squad. Culberson can of course report to Triple-A if he’s not claimed, but he has shown the desire to opt for free agency before, which he very well may do instead.
With Minter coming off IL and Sunday trade for Nicky Lopez, these moves were inevitable, even if some hoped otherwise for Culberson. Lopez is a significant defensive upgrade for #Braves, and they certainly weren’t gonna carry two backup infielders when they almost never use one. https://t.co/EOuvRG14o8
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) July 31, 2023
With all that news provided this morning via the team socials, that leaves fans with the hope Alex Anthopoulos has a few more moves up his sleeve before the MLB trade deadline officially ends tomorrow afternoon.