Just days after being designated for assignment by the Atlanta Braves to make room for Dylan Dodd, outfielder Jordan Luplow has been claimed by the Toronto Blue Jays.
RHP Kyle Wright is set to begin a major league rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett tonight.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 5, 2023
Additionally, OF Jordan Luplow was claimed off waivers today by the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Braves had a week to trade him or for him to pass through waivers after designating him for assignment.
Luplow was picked up by Atlanta in the off-season after he was designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks following the 2022 season. He struggled at the plate for the D-Backs, hitting only .176 in around 200 plate appearances. The Braves signed him to a 1-year, $1.4 million contract.
He was thrown in the mix along with Eli White, Kevin Pillar, and Sam Hilliard for a spot on the Braves bench, with a sluggish Spring at the plate leading to Luplow being sent down to Triple-A Gwinnett. In 17 plate appearances this Spring, Luplow hit .200 with five strikeouts and just one RBI.
Luplow made three appearances in Gwinnett before he was designated for assignment, hitting 3-10 with three RBIs.
Toronto is now the fifth team Luplow has been with since making his major league debut in 2017. The former third-round pick was drafted by the Pirates, before being traded to Cleveland, Tampa, then Arizona over the span of three seasons.
The move to let Luplow go is a little unexpected, but the Braves seem to be a good place when it comes to depth right now. The offense is on a very good pace, Pillar and Hilliard are a very solid outfield bench with Eli White waiting in the wings in Gwinnett, and there's other pieces down in Triple-A that could make an appearance in Atlanta should the situation call for it. Forrest Wall turned some heads during the Spring, and so did Justin Dean.
Luplow was a low-risk, high-reward platoon guy when he was brought in, and the Braves will manage with him now heading North to Toronto.