braves designated for assignment

Atlanta Braves designate Robinson Cano for assignment after dealing for INF Ehire Adrianza

The Atlanta Braves designated infielder Robinson Cano for assignment on Monday after acquiring infielder Ehire Adrianza in a trade with the Washington Nationals .

Adrianza, 32, was hitting .179 with seven RBIs in 94 plate appearances over 31 games this season. The Nationals acquired outfielder Trey Harris in exchange for Adrianza, who played last season for the Braves and led major league baseball with 16 pinch hits.

Cano, who was acquired by the Braves in a trade with the San Diego Padres last month, hit .154 in 27 plate appearances in nine games for Atlanta.

Cano, 39, had been hitting .333 with three home runs and 20 RBIs in Triple-A El Paso, the Padres' Triple-A affiliate. But he scuffled in the majors for the Padres, hitting just .091 in 34 plate appearances over 12 games.

The New York Mets released Cano in May after he hit just .150 with a home run and four RBIs in 43 plate appearances over 12 games. He missed the 2021 season while serving his second suspension for violating MLB's policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

Overall, Cano is hitting .150 with the one home run in 104 major league plate appearances this season.

The Braves are still without second baseman Ozzie Albies , who fractured his foot in June. The Braves been relying on Orlando Arcia as his replacement.

Adrianza hit .247 with five home runs and 28 RBIs in 209 plate appearances over 109 games last season for the Braves, also appearing in 10 postseason games during Atlanta's run to a World Series championship. The Braves are currently in second place in the National League East, trailing the first-place Mets by 3 games. They also occupy the NL's first wild-card spot.

Harris, 26, was hitting .238 with two home runs and 16 RBIs for Double-A Mississippi this season.

The Mets owe Cano nearly $45 million remaining on his original 10-year, $240 million contract he signed with the Seattle Mariners in 2013.

An eight-time All-Star, Cano has a .301 average, 335 home runs and 1,306 RBIs in his 17-year career.

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Braves dump Bartolo Colon

SAN DIEGO — Bartolo Colon and the Braves are no more. Big Sexy has left the building, having been designated for assignment Thursday after the latest in his string of terrible starts for the Braves.

Colon, the oldest active major leaguer at 44, was 2-8 with an 8.14 ERA in 13 starts for the Braves after signing a one-year, $12.5 million free-agent contract in November. The Braves will swallow the remaining salary he’s owed rather than continue to use him as a starter or try him in a relief role for which he seems ill-suited.

“It’s unfortunate for him and for us,” Braves general manager John Coppolella said. “Not sure anybody took it harder than he did when he wasn’t performing. Seems like he felt he owed it to our fans and the Braves to try to have a good season. We wish him the best going forward. He’s a great teammate and a great person. Whatever happens, he’s had a great career.”

Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman said, “Yeah, 44 years old. Father Time is going to catch up to you sometime, unfortunately it was with us. But hopefully he gets another chance. Just one of those things. It didn’t work out for us but he was a great teammate, great guy, loved having him around.”

The Braves  purchased the contract of left-handed reliever Rex Brothers from Triple-A Gwinnett and he joined the team in San Diego for Thursday night's series finale against the Padres.

The Colon move won’t require an adjustment to the starting rotation, since the Braves were using one extra starter only for the current six-game trip and now have the standard five in the rotation: Julio Teheran, Jaime Garcia, R.A. Dickey, Mike Foltynewicz and rookie Sean Newcomb, who has been up since Colon first went on the disabled list in early June.

Colon was designated after giving up eight hits and six runs in four innings of a 7-4 loss to the Padres on Wednesday in his first start since spending just over three weeks on the disabled list for side and back strains. Braves manager Brian Snitker told him late Wednesday, though the move wasn’t announced until Thursday.

“It’s tough, especially with a guy like that,” Snitker said. “He’s such a quality, classy great teammate that those are never easy. He got it. I mean, he’s been around, he knows what’s going on. But like I say, that’s one of the parts of the job that’s no fun.

“He brought a lot of really good to this club in the short time that he was here. You read about some of the Mets guys (being sad) when he left, and I know why now. I mean, he was good for our young players. It just didn’t work out.”

The former American League Cy Young award winner and winningest active pitcher will be released unless traded, which is entirely unlikely given his dismal performance in a career-worst season.

Credit: Hayne Palmour IV

The only salary relief the Braves could get would be minimal — any team that signs Colon after he’s released would owe him a prorated portion of the major league minimum $535,000 salary for any time spent in the majors for the rest of the season. The Braves would owe the balance of his $12.5 million salary minus that amount.

“Obviously no one’s going to pick him up until he probably clears (waivers), but maybe someone will give him another opportunity and hopefully he does get it and does well with it,” said Freeman, who smiled and added, “I wish him all the best, but hopefully he doesn’t go with the Mets and all of a sudden pitch good against us.”

Colon’s ERA is more than double his 20-year career ERA of 4.02 in 521 games including 513 starts. He had a 3.93 career ERA before this season, and his current 8.14 ERA is nearly two runs higher than the career-worst 6.34 ERA posted in 2007 with the Angels.

The stocky right-hander’s ERA is more than 4 1/2 runs higher than his 3.43 ERA in 2016 with the Mets, when Colon went 15-8 and worked 191 2/3 innings for his fourth consecutive season with at least 190. He was 44-34 with a 3.90 ERA during three seasons with the Mets despite his advanced age, and the Braves gambled that he had enough left in his right arm to produce similar results on a one-year deal.

He and 42-year-old knuckleballer R.A. Dickey were signed to help bridge the Braves to next season when they could have some of their own pitching prospects ready to plug into the rotation. The Braves traded for Jaime Garcia in the final year of his contract for the same reason.

“You get essentially three one-year guys,” Coppoella said, “there’s always risk associated with one-year-deal guys, for one reason or another.”

Things started well for Colon in April, when he had a .175 opponents’ batting average and .556 opponents’ OPS after his first three starts, including two hits and one run allowed in six innings of his season debut April 5 against the Mets and just one hit and one run allowed in an April 16 win against the Padres for his first win in his Braves home debut.

But he gave up 11 hits in seven innings of his next start April 21 against the Phillies. That began the worst stretch of Colon’s career and a decline that he’s not been able to quell and has, in fact, worsened as the weeks passed.

Beginning with the loss at Philadelphia, Colon went 1-7 with a 9.59 ERA, .381 opponents’ average and 1.050 opponents’ OPS in his past 10 starts. While posting a 10.38 ERA in his past nine starts, Colon pitched five innings or fewer eight times and lasted 5 2/3 innings in his other outing in that period.

The situation reached a breaking point with his past three starts, in which Colon was 0-3 with a 14.40 ERA and .407 opponents’ average, allowing 22 hits and 23 runs (16 earned) in 10 innings and lasting four or fewer innings in each outing.

After giving up seven hits and eight runs in 3 2/3 innings of a June 5 home loss against the Phillies, he was placed on the disabled list for an oblique strain, then scratched from a scheduled start June 20 due to back tightness.

He remained on the DL until Wednesday, when he was activated to face the Padres at pitcher-friendly Petco Park. He gave up two runs again in the first inning and surrendered eight hits and six runs in four innings and 80 pitches before being replaced with the Braves trailing, 6-0. The 7-4 loss was only the third in the past 11 games for the Braves.

Colon was equally ineffective at home and on the road, allowing a .330 opponents’ average and .923 OPS in five home starts and a .343/.958 in eight road starts.

The Braves faced early deficits on a regular basis with Colon pitching, evident in his first-inning stats including a 10.38 ERA, .365 opponents’ average and 1.098 opponents’ OPS.

The numbers improved significantly when he got past three innings, including six earned runs allowed in 11 2/3 fourth innings. But he only made it to the fifth inning in eight of 13 starts and to the sixth inning in four starts.

Colon was particularly bad with runners on base, allowing a .390 average including a staggering .450 (36-for-80) and 1.300 OPS with runners in scoring position.

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Braves old friend designated for assignment by White Sox

E very single year Braves Country falls in love with an insignificant piece of the team, and last year, one of them was Kevin Pillar.

In a platoon role with Eddie Rosario, he never contributed a ton offensively but provided solid defense, a veteran presence, and a hard-nosed style of play that resonated with fans.

I love Kevin Pillar. There was never a fly ball that he wouldn’t run through a fence for. Whether it was a meaningless May game or the ninth inning of a postseason game, Pillar played with the same intensity.

Unfortunately for him, the Braves had higher hopes for left field, electing not to bring him or Rosario back in 2024, replacing them with Jarred Kelenic and Adam Duvall.

To this point, the duo has been an upgrade over their predecessors. Rosario signed a two-way contract with the Nationals this offseason and hasn’t done much in the majors while Pillar signed a minor league pact with the White Sox and made the big league roster out of camp.

Though he hit for decent power with the Braves last year, Pillar has struggled to start the season, much like the majority of the White Sox offense. He has only taken 32 trips to the plate, slashing a putrid .160/.290/.360 with a homer and two doubles.

Most recently, the former Braves fan favorite has been designated for assignment, according to Ken Rosenthal.

At 35 years old, I don’t know how many more opportunities Pillar is going to have while the Braves enjoy their new left field platoon of Kelenic and Duvall.

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What's the best state for you », braves cut charlie culberson before infielder's father was to throw 1st pitch.

The Atlanta Braves have designated infielder Charlie Culberson for assignment before his father was set to throw out a ceremonial first pitch on Father’s Day

Braves Cut Charlie Culberson Before Infielder's Father Was to Throw 1st Pitch

John Bazemore

FILE - Atlanta Braves' Charlie Culberson throws to first after fielding a ground ball during a practice baseball game, Thursday, July 9, 2020, in Atlanta. The Atlanta Braves designated infielder Culberson for assignment hours before his father was set to throw out a ceremonial first pitch on Father's Day, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves designated infielder Charlie Culberson for assignment hours before his father was set to throw out a ceremonial first pitch on Father's Day.

Culberson, a 34-year-old from Rome, Georgia, was cut before Sunday's game against Colorado. He was brought up from Triple-A Gwinnett on May 19 but had not appeared in any games since his promotion.

After Culberson was let go, the father of Braves outfielder Michael Harris II took care of the first pitch at Truist Park. Harris went 5 for 5 and scored three times for Atlanta in the 14-6 win.

Culberson made his big league debut in 2012 with San Francisco. He is a .248 hitter with 30 homers and 145 RBIs in 589 games.

He also played for Atlanta for parts of three seasons from 2018-2020, hitting a career-high 12 homers in 2018.

Catcher Chadwick Tromp was recalled from Gwinnett. He is 2 for 16 in six games with the Braves this year.

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Braves designate Charlie Culberson for assignment before dad was set to throw out first pitch

Michael harris ii's father took care of the first pitch.

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Atlanta Braves infielder Charlie Culberson had a Father's Day he will most likely want to forget.

The Braves designated Culberson for assignment hours before his father was set to throw out the ceremonial first pitch for the team’s Father’s Day celebration. Culberson was brought up from Triple-A Gwinnett on May 19 but had yet to appear in any major league games.

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Atlanta Braves third baseman Charlie Culberson signs an autograph for a fan before a game against the Washington Nationals on June 9, 2023, at Truist Park in Atlanta. (David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

After Culberson was let go, the father of Braves outfielder Michael Harris II took care of the first pitch at Truist Park. Harris went 5-for-5 and scored three times for the Braves in their 14-6 win over the Colorado Rockies.

Culberson was a San Francisco Giants first-round pick of the 2007 MLB Draft, and he made his debut in 2012 with the club.

YOUNG RED SOX SUPPORTER RECEIVES FOUL BALL FROM GENEROUS FAN, SUBSEQUENTLY FIRES IT BACK ONTO FIELD

Atlanta Braves third baseman Charlie Culberson is shown during the game against the Washington Nationals on June 10, 2023, at Truist Park in Atlanta. (Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Before the 2013 season, he was traded to the Colorado Rockies for Marco Scutaro, and he played two seasons with the team. He would play for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016 and 2017 before he had his first stint in Atlanta.

He played three seasons with the Braves from 2018 to 2020. He batted .265 with 17 home runs and 63 runs scored in that span. He joined the Texas Rangers before the start of the 2021 season and played with them until the 2022 season.

Atlanta Braves' Charlie Culberson throws to first after fielding a ground ball during practice on July 9, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore/File)

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Culberson was hitting .204 with a .489 OPS and a home run in 24 games with Gwinnett before he was DFA’d.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

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Braves' Collmenter designated for assignment after 3 HRs

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Braves designated right-hander Josh Collmenter for assignment after he surrendered three homers and seven runs in the 10th inning of a loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The 31-year-old Collmenter made 11 appearances for the Braves, going 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in 17 innings. Right-hander Matt Wisler was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett before Thursday's series finale against the Pirates.

In what was likely Collmenter's final appearance with the Braves, he came on in extra innings with the game tied at 5. He surrendered consecutive homers to David Freese, Jose Osuna and Jordy Mercer in a 12-5 loss.

Wisler struggled in his previous stint with the Braves this season. He had a 12.60 ERA in four relief appearances.

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Former Braves Outfielder Signs in AL West; Laments Leaving Braves

Lindsay crosby | may 1, 2024.

• Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves are considered one of the best-run franchises in Major League Baseball. 

A perpetual World Series contender, the Braves are considered to have one of the best clubhouses and most stability of any team in MLB. Multiple players have expressed a desire to stay in Atlanta long-term, with several trade acquisitions signing below market-rate extensions to remain with the team. 

Former Braves outfielder Kevin Pillar is the latest example of the love for Atlanta’s clubhouse within baseball. Speaking to the YouTube show Foul Territory , he explained that the 2023 season in Atlanta was one of the best in his career and he wanted to return. 

"I would've done anything to go back there. I've never been happier playing baseball in my life. It was the most fun I ever had. The group of guys, the culture, the winning, the city, it checked all of the boxes. (But) that option wasn't there for me, so it was time for me to move on."

Baseball’s a tough business. While Pillar was a great fit in the clubhouse and had a valuable role as the short side of a platoon with now departed Eddie Rosario, Atlanta’s desire for an everyday starter led them to trade for Seattle Mariners outfielder Jarred Kelenic. In a sign of Atlanta’s attractiveness as a destination, they were able to bring back veteran Adam Duvall on a one-year deal at the end of spring training to share time with Kelenic. 

Pillar posted a goodbye message on social media soon after the 2023 season ended, later signing a non-guaranteed deal with the Chicago White Sox as spring training got underway. He started off slowly in Chicago, going 4-25 with a homer, and was designated for assignment when the White Sox added veteran Tommy Pham on a one-year deal. 

Electing free agency rather than reporting to AAA Charlotte, Pillar signed a major league deal with the Los Angeles Angels, reuniting him with former Braves third base coach and current Angels manager Ron Washington. Pillar is expected to step into the roster spot of superstar Mike Trout, who was placed on the injured list with a torn meniscus that will require surgery and keep him out for two to three months. 

LINDSAY CROSBY

Managing Editor for Braves Today and the 2023 IBWAA Prospects/Minors Writer of the Year. You can reach him at [email protected]

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Matt Olson hits 3-run homer to support Chris Sale's dominant start in Braves' 7-0 rout of Cubs

Atlanta Braves' Matt Olson watches his three-run home run in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Atlanta. Credit: AP/John Bazemore

ATLANTA — Matt Olson hit a three-run homer and drove in four, Chris Sale pitched two-hit ball over seven innings and the Atlanta Braves beat the Chicago Cubs 7-0 Tuesday night for their second straight shutout in the series.

Michael Harris II also homered for Atlanta, which has won six of seven. The Cubs were held to three hits by Sale and relievers Aaron Bummer and Jackson Stephens and have managed a combined eight hits while being outscored 9-0 in the first two games of the series.

Sale (6-1) had nine strikeouts, his third consecutive start with at least nine, and didn't walk anybody. The right-hander won his fifth straight start.

Right-hander Jameson Taillon's fielding error on Orlando Arcia's grounder helped set up the Braves' six-run fourth inning, including the homers by Harris and Olson. Five runs in the inning were unearned.

Taillion (3-1) allowed seven runs, two earned, in four innings.

Harris led off the fourth with his fourth homer, his first since April 19. Olson, who doubled in a run in the first, added the three-run shot, his fifth.

Cubs right-hander Tyson Miller threw two scoreless innings in his debut after he was acquired from the Seattle Mariners for minor league infielder Jake Slaughter. Left-hander Richard Lovelady was designated for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale (51) delivers in the second inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Atlanta. Credit: AP/John Bazemore

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cubs: SS Nico Hoerner was scratched with left hamstring tightness. ... DH Christopher Morel started after leaving Monday night’s game in the ninth inning with a sore left foot but had the same foot hit by a pitch from Sale in the first inning. Morel remained in the game.

Braves: Manager Brian Snitker said 3B Austin Riley reported he felt “a lot better” but was held out for the second straight game due to inflammation in his left side. ... RHP Reynaldo López, who was limited to five innings on Monday night due to tightness in his back, is expected to make his next start. ... RHP Pierce Johnson (right elbow inflammation) is expected to throw a simulated game on Wednesday.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna follows through on a single as Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya (9) looks on in the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Atlanta. Credit: AP/John Bazemore

RHP Charlie Morton (3-0, 3.14) is scheduled to start for Atlanta in Wednesday night's series finale. The Cubs have not announced their starting pitcher. Morton will be making his first start against the Cubs since July 28, 2016 while with the Chicago White Sox.

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Pirates designate LHP Josh Fleming for assignment one night after a poor relief performance

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Josh Fleming throws during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers Monday, May 13, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Josh Fleming delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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MILWAUKEE (AP) — Left-handed pitcher Josh Fleming was designated for assignment by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday, one day after he allowed six runs while getting just three outs in a relief appearance.

The Pirates recalled right-hander Ryder Ryan from Triple-A Indianapolis to fill Fleming’s spot.

“We needed a bullpen arm,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Tuesday before a game with the Milwaukee Brewers. “We have other guys that are available tonight and we need the innings. Josh became the odd man out.”

Fleming, who turns 28 on Saturday, had a 1-1 record and a 5.68 ERA with one save in 17 appearances with the Pirates this season. He had pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays from 2020-23.

After heading into April 30 with a 1.29 ERA, Fleming had given up 11 runs – 10 earned – over five innings in his last five appearances.

In the Pirates’ 8-6 victory over the Brewers on Monday night, Fleming allowed a grand slam to Jake Bauers and gave up a two-run double to Willy Adames.

He started the seventh inning with the Pirates ahead 5-0 before allowing Adames’ double. After the Pirates extended their lead to 7-2 in the top of the eighth, Fleming faced four batters in the bottom of the inning without retiring any. Blake Perkins and Gary Sánchez opened with singles, and after Joey Ortiz reached on an error by shortstop Oneil Cruz to load the bases, Bauers hit a shot over the right field wall to cut Pittsburgh’s lead to 7-6.

Five of the six runs Fleming allowed were earned.

Ryan, 29, has gone 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in nine relief appearances with Pittsburgh this season. He also has an 0-0 record and 3.86 ERA in five games with Indianapolis.

“This guy throws a sinker that really does a nice job of getting ground balls when he executes it,” Shelton said.

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Braves turn to Charlie Morton in quest for sweep of Cubs

Veteran Charlie Morton will try to extend Atlanta's stretch of dominant pitching at home on Wednesday when the Braves host the Chicago Cubs in the finale of their three-game series.

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The Braves have won six of their past seven games and have shut out the Cubs in consecutive outings, winning 2-0 on Monday and 7-0 on Tuesday. The Braves have gone 30 straight innings without giving up a run at Truist Park.

Morton (3-0, 3.14 ERA) draws the starting assignment against Chicago's Javier Assad (3-0, 1.70) in a matchup of right-handers.

Morton will be making his eighth start. He threw seven strong innings in his most recent start on Friday against the New York Mets, allowing one run on three hits with one walk and seven strikeouts. The 40-year-old also surpassed 2,000 innings for his career.

"That's a lot," Morton said. "It's something to be proud of and something to experience with this group here is pretty special."

"He amazes me every time he goes out there," Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said.

Morton has made 18 career starts against the Cubs, going 4-7 with a 5.27 ERA. He made one start against the Cubs in 2023 and took the loss after surrendering five runs in 4 1/3 innings.

Assad's most recent start came on Friday at Pittsburgh. He received no-decision after working 4 1/3 innings and giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits with two walks and four strikeouts. He has not allowed more than two runs in any of his eight starts this season.

Assad has made three career appearances (one start) against the Braves, going 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA. He started against the Braves last season and was lifted after allowing two runs on five hits, two walks and three strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.

The Cubs will be without reliever Adbert Alzolay, who has a right flexor strain and was placed on the 15-day injured list on Monday. It's the same injury that sidelined him in September.

Alzolay joins fellow pitchers Yency Almonte (right shoulder strain), Caleb Kilian (right shoulder strain), Julian Merryweather (rib stress fracture), Jordan Wicks (left forearm strain), Drew Smyly (right hip impingement) and Daniel Palencia (right shoulder strain) on the injured list.

Chicago acquired right-handed reliever Tyson Miller from Seattle on Monday for minor league infielder Jake Slaughter. Miller was designated for assignment by the Mariners after compiling a 3.09 ERA in nine games. The Cubs designated Rich Lovelady for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. Miller made his Chicago debut on Tuesday and threw two scoreless innings.

"Anytime you have a number of your players hurt, you've got to make adjustments, and we've got to be willing to adjust on the fly and adapt on the fly and change directions when needed," Chicago manager Craig Counsell said. "Our guys have done a really good job of that and that's what periods like this require. But it's part of a baseball season, teams go through it and you just do your best with it."

The Cubs were without shortstop Nico Hoerner on Tuesday. He was a late scratch because of left hamstring tightness and is day-to-day.

Atlanta third baseman Austin Riley has missed the last two games due to tightness in his left side and is day-to-day.

--Field Level Media

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Orioles Designate Ryan McKenna For Assignment

By Steve Adams | May 13, 2024 at 2:41pm CDT

The Orioles announced Monday that they’ve designated outfielder Ryan McKenna for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to veteran Austin Hays , who has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list after missing about three weeks with a strained calf. It’s the second bit of outfield shuffling by the O’s today. Baltimore previously optioned Heston Kjerstad to Triple-A Norfolk in favor of Kyle Stowers .

McKenna, 27, was only selected back to the 40-man roster for a second stint with the Orioles on April 26. He appeared in nine games and went 3-for-8 at the plate, popping a pair of home runs in his brief look with the club. Despite that productive cup of coffee, he won’t stick around on the big league roster. McKenna is out of minor league options, so the O’s had little choice but to designate him for assignment once things reached a point where they needed to open his roster spot back up. In all likelihood, McKenna knew it’d be a short stay on the active roster.

A fourth-round selection by the O’s in the 2015 draft, McKenna has now appeared in parts of four seasons with the MLB club. Despite the big showing in this year’s tiny sample, he struggled extensively from 2021-23, hitting just .222/.299/.318 in 508 plate appearances across that three-year span. He owns a productive .261/.359/.561 output in 274 Triple-A plate appearances but also a .234/.327/.357 slash in a much larger sample of 817 Double-A plate appearances.

Baltimore is stacked with outfield talent — and with position players in general — leaving little room for McKenna to wrest everyday at-bats from the team’s other outfield options. Colton Cowser , Cedric Mullins , Anthony Santander and the now-reinstated Hays are all in the mix for at-bats, as is the aforementioned Stowers, who’s joining the club for his 2024 debut after smacking 11 Triple-A homers in his first 165 plate appearances there this season. Mullins has been in a deep slump of late, and Hays struggled a good bit before landing on the injured list himself. However, both veterans have lengthy track records of production that date back several years. Neither was going to be displaced because of a brief hot streak from McKenna.

The Orioles have a week to trade McKenna or else place him on outright waivers or release waivers. He went unclaimed on outright waivers at the end of March, and in doing so gained the right to reject any additional outright assignments for the remainder of his career. As such, if he clears waivers, he’ll have the right to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency. Given the glut of outfield talent on the Baltimore roster, it’s possible he’d prefer to latch on with another organization that has far less depth and thus a better opportunity for him to get an earnest look at the big league level.

17 Comments

Well, I had just said he’s a DFA soon. Turns it out it was real soon!

Think he may get claimed this time around.

Yeah, the article came out about 20 min after you replied to me on the other post lol

Free Coby Mayo.

Before the season I thought a Mayo for Luzardo deal made a lot of sense. But Luzardos value isn’t what it was and Mayos is probably even greater since he’s playing so well at AAA. And the Orioles don’t really need Luzardo he would help but not a need.

Ewww, free mayo prolly means it got left in the sun and is about to go bad

Why not just let Heston play consistently? Has more of a shot to be a real piece than Stowers.

The problem is they don’t really have a place for him to play.

The Orioles are discovering that developing young talent while also trying to win is a difficult thing to do. These are good problems to have for sure. But there are reasons why contenders trade young talent away for proven players.

My guess is Stowers is a bench piece replacing McKenna. Hays is off the IL and probably slots back into LF where Kjerstad didn’t look overly comfortable. Hays hit very well on his rehab assignment. O’s can’t afford to have the 9th spot be occupied by hitters trying to figure out MLB pitching. At some point he’ll be back up, as will Holliday.

Kjerstad just isn’t better right now than Mountcastle, Santander, Cowser, or Ohearn. They play his positions—so he’s relegated to bench duty. It opens up next year for him when Santander is likely gone

I think Kyle Stowers may be getting a chance to, who knows, get hot at the major league level. Sometimes lightning strikes. At worst, he’s got a little more glove and contact rates than Kjerstad does.

If he were to gain more value, he could be packaged in a deal for a backend RP. I think if he were to gain some more value, him and Norby would be a solid package for a quality arm.

Heston is a Charlatan. He’s no Moses. More like a cranky crank foretelling imminent dystopia. “ITS PEOPLE!!!!”

Why don’t they trade a few of these guys for a super star?

do you have a trade proposal? packaging Stowers and Silent J for someone sounds great in theory but what would that net the O’s? I doubt a super star. I think that as the other article about a closer option might be the best we can get.

Sounds like the nuanced insight we’d expect from Oriole fans

Angels are calling him.

I would be down with that

Isn’t a little bit of a stretch to say that Hays has a “lengthy record of production that stretches back several years?” He’s had 2 really good half seasons. One netted him an ASG appearance in 2023, the other led to 22 HR in 2021. His OPS+ of 105 over now 2000 PA is a representative figure for his body of work. He hits a lot of doubles and his defense is better than average, though he K’s a lot and has health issues pretty much every season. But certainly not someone who could never be displaced by better production, especially as a corner OF. I’d said last winter of the 3 OF starters he is the most likely to be traded, I’d say with Cowser, Kjerstad, and Stowers around if another team is really high on Hays to pull the trigger for always-needed pitching help. Mullins I would say has a better track record of production, though his slump since last July has been deeper than Hays’.

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Ryan McKenna let go by Baltimore Orioles. Here's what happens now for St. Thomas grad

Ryan McKenna, a 2015 graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Dover, learned Monday he was designated for assignment by the Baltimore Orioles. This means he was removed from the club's 40-man roster. Within seven days, the Orioles must either trade McKenna or place him on outright or unconditional release waivers.

If McKenna, 27, a fourth-round selection by the Orioles in the 2015 draft, is claimed off waivers by another club, he will be assigned to his new team's 26-man roster because he no longer has minor league options. If he clears waivers, he would be free to join another organization, or return to the Orioles' minor league system.

McKenna was called up to Baltimore on April 26. He appeared in nine games and went 3-for-8, including two solo home runs. Austin Hayes, who was reinstated from the 10-day injured list after missing three weeks with a strained calf, took McKenna's spot on the roster.

McKenna appeared in the majors with the Orioles for the fourth season. He began this season at Triple-A Norfolk , batting .244 with two homers and five RBIs before being called up to the majors.

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Last year, McKenna appeared in 89 games in the regular season and had career highs in several categories, including batting average (.254), on-base percentage (.316), slugging (.677), RBIs (18), and stolen bases (five).  

The Orioles won the American League East last year with a record of 101-61, and were swept by the Texas Rangers in the American League Division Series. McKenna, who was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk in the final week of the regular season, was not on the postseason roster .

McKenna appeared in 291 games with the Orioles since he made his debut in 2021. He had eight home runs and 45 RBIs, and a batting average of .224. His first career MLB hit was a triple in 2021 against the Boston Red Sox off Nick Pivetta at Camden Yards.