The Atlanta Braves have certainly done quite a bit of roster shuffling lately. With Alex Verdugo getting called up and Ian Anderson getting claimed off waivers while Atlanta was on the road, all of the changes have required a number of transactional machinations to make work while insuring that the Braves had enough players to actually play their games.
The #Braves today outrighted RHP Ian Anderson to Triple-A Gwinnett. Additionally, OF Bryan De La Cruz was claimed off waivers by the New York Yankees.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 1, 2025
Ian Anderson sent to Triple-A, Bryan De La Cruz claimed off waivers by Yankees
There isn’t anything earth-shattering happening here, but these moves do put the Braves’ plans into focus a bit. With Verdugo emerging as an absolute steal and Eli White going wild, there was no role for De La Cruz to play in the big leagues especially after Atlanta snagged Eddie Rosario again. He didn’t do himself any favors after posting a 28 wRC+ this season, but the path to playing time was grim even if De La Cruz figured things out in the minors and now he is New York’s problem.
As for Anderson, it is hard to forecast exactly what the future holds for him. Atlanta could theoretically try to convert him into a bullpen arm, but he doesn’t really have the raw stuff for that. They could try having him start again, but all existing evidence suggests he is going to have a tough time fooling guys the second time (or more) through the order. For now, he gets stashed in Gwinnett as a bit of a project.
With all of that out of the way, our attention turns to this upcoming series against LA. The first game will feature Grant Holmes against Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Certainly a tough matchup to be sure, but it appears as though the Braves have the pieces in place they want to go into battle with.
