The Atlanta Braves add more right-handed pitching depth to the system. They announced Tuesday afternoon that they acquired right-hander Hunter Stratton from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for outfielder Titus Dumitru and cash considerations. He has been optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett.
In a corresponding move, the Braves have moved left-hander Chris Sale to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster. He’s eligible to return in the latter half of August.
The update on Sale is an unfortunate one for the Braves, but an unsurprising update nonetheless. Fractured ribs take a long time to heal.
The example of Murphy’s injury has been used before. He had a cracked rib and missed over a month.
Sale went on the 15-day IL on June 21, retroactive to June 19. He injured his ribs on a diving play in his effort to pitch a complete game in his most recent start June 18. In his 10 starts leading up to his injury, he had a 1.23 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP. He lowered his ERA from 6.17 to 2.52. If not for his injury, he was on track to get another All-Star nod.
The Braves have their No. 10 prospect, Didier Fuentes, filling in his spot right now.
Apart from three rocky outings in 2025, Stratton has pitched pretty well in the Majors. He had a 3.26 ERA in 44 games between 2023 and 2024. He has a similar 3.65 ERA in 21 Triple-A outings this season.
He’ll provide the Braves another fresh arm, who could come up at any time this season.
Dumitru is currently in the High-A level of the minor leagues. In 64 games with High-A Rome, he’s batting .231 with a .629 OPS, three home runs and 36 RBIs. The Braves took him in the 16th round of the 2024 MLB Draft.
