The Atlanta Braves add more outfield depth ahead of Tuesday’s game with the White Sox. They announced they claimed outfielder Jake Fraley off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds.
No corresponding move was included with the roster move. He’s listed on the Braves’ 40-man roster, but on the active roster, at least yet. He’ll have his chance to get over to Atlanta, so he can be activated, and then we’ll see what other moves follow suit.
This marks the second time this season the team has acquired an outfielder from the Reds. Earlier this season, they traded cash for Stuart Fairchild.
He has since been designated for assignment and is with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Fraley was designated for assignment by the Reds on Sunday. He’s played parts of seven seasons in the big leagues, three with the Mariners and the last four with the Reds.
The 30-year-old, left-handed hitter is batting .232 with a .719 OPS, six home runs and 23 RBIs. While he’s hit more for power in previous seasons, the stat that stands out the most is his on-base percentage of .332, so he gets on base at a nice clip.
He’s also had two seasons of 20 stolen bases or more, so he could potentially give the Braves a pinch-running option akin to what Fairchild provided them earlier in the season.
He can also provide the team with another late-game defensive option if one of the starting outfielders is pinch-hit or pinch-run for late in the game.
The addition of Fraley joins the number of roster moves the Braves have already made on Tuesday. They called up right-handers Dane Dunning and Connor Seabold from Triple-A Gwinnett and optioned right-handers Daysbel Hernández and Hunter Stratton.
So, the depth over the next couple of days will start to shape up a bit. They’ll have new, fresh options for the bullpen in case they need the innings, and they’ll have another option in the outfield.
The team has gone through its share of outfielders this season. Along with Fairchild, Jarred Kelenic, Bryan De La Cruz, and Alex Verdugo have all come and gone. Eli White is one of the few who have stuck around as Ronald Acuña Jr. has gotten healthy and Jurickson Profar has returned from his suspension.
Vidal Brujan has provided them with a nice depth piece in the outfielder as well since he was added to the roster earlier this month.
