It’s early in the season to see a team DFA pitchers so quickly, but the Atlanta Braves expect an increased workload after the loss of Reynaldo Lopez and four-inning outings from AJ Smith-Shawver and Grant Holmes.
The club selected Jesse Chavez to replace Hector Neris Monday morning, and 24 hours later Chavez got his return ticket to Gwinnett. The only reliever with options is Daysbel Hernandez, and the Braves need his power arm, so Chavez was designated for assignment.
While we won’t know whether Neris is claimed or accepts assignment for a few days, it’s easier to predict Chavez’s future. And, quite frankly, fans are totally fine with Neris packing up and leaving.
Over the past three seasons, we’ve seen Chavez sign elsewhere, be released or DFA'd, and eventually return to the Braves. He always seems to give the Braves what they need, so fan should expect him to go unclaimed, accept assignment, and remain with the Braves.
Braves News: Jesse Chavez designated for assignment, Zach Thompson gets the call
The Braves signed Thompson in October with an invitation to spring training. He’s been a starter and showed the Braves he could pitch multiple innings by throwing nine innings in two appearances this spring. At this point, they'll need guys to keep eating innings, so Thompson is the logical option at the moment. We'd like to think the Braves will try and preserve Chavez in the event he can eventually becoming a valuable high-leverage arm again for them.
We’ll likely see more DFAs and roster moves as the Braves try to fill the void created by the loss of Lopez, who went down with an injury on Monday following the 80-game suspension of Jurickson Profar. Chavez could go through the cycle more than once, but he's more than likely going to stay in Atlanta for the rest of the season given his lack of success elsewhere in recent years.
The Braves are down bad at the moment, so it'll take some shrewd navigating in the early going for them to stay afloat as they wait to return to full strength.