The Braves added reliever Jesse Chavez and utilityman Orlando Arcia to their active roster Thursday, the day that MLB roster limits expanded from 26 to 28 players.
Chavez, 39, was claimed off waivers from the Angels two days ago. The Braves traded him Aug. 2 as part of the deal to acquire reliever Raisel Iglesias, but the Angels cut him loose this week. Chavez had a 2.11 ERA over 31 appearances with the Braves earlier this season. He will be eligible for the postseason.
“It was great when I saw him,” manager Brian Snitker said. “He was smiling so far I thought his face was going to freeze. It’s great to have him back. Jesse has done nothing but really good things here since we started acquiring him back the last couple years. ... There’s something about being here that works really well with him.”
Arcia has been sidelined for three weeks because of a left hamstring injury. He suffered the injury while running the bases during a 10th-inning double in Boston. Arcia went 3-for-13 over a four-game rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett. Arcia has hit .243 with a .726 OPS across 56 games this season.
While Chavez provides another multi-inning option, Arcia further bolsters the team’s position depth. In his absence, the Braves promoted rookie Vaughn Grissom, who’s proved MLB-ready despite having skipped Triple-A. The team has another infielder on its way soon.
Second baseman Ozzie Albies began his rehab assignment Thursday in Gwinnett as he continues his path back from a fractured foot. The Braves should have time to get Albies reacclimated ahead of the postseason while also working through their roster logjam. They haven’t indicated their plans for Grissom when Albies returns, but he’s started practicing in left field. The designated hitter provides another avenue to keep Grissom in the lineup. It’s a good problem for the Braves to have.
The Braves also made two procedural moves. Right-hander Mike Soroka (Achilles) was removed from the IL and optioned to Triple-A, where he’ll make his next start Friday. It remains to be seen whether Soroka, who sustained two Achilles ruptures since his last regular-season start in summer 2020, pitches in the majors this season.
In optioning Soroka, there’s a 15-day minimum he must remain in the minors. If the Braves had waited until his 30-day rehab stint was complete, the team would be forced to either add him to the major-league roster or option him, and by that point, the 15-day minimum would’ve covered the remainder of the season. So this move gives the Braves options with their 25-year-old All-Star.
“He just needs to keep making his starts,” Snitker said. “He’s missed two years. He’s stretched out. He just needs to keep building on that.”
The team also transferred reliever Darren O’Day to the 60-day IL. The Braves said Wednesday that O’Day suffered a sprained right big toe during his latest rehab assignment.
