The Braves called up right-hander Roddery Muñoz to take an open spot on their roster.
His first appearance will be his MLB debut. He’ll be part of the Braves’ bullpen for the time being.
At Triple-A Gwinnett this season, Muñoz has posted a 4.94 ERA over 27-1/3 innings. He has 24 strikeouts and 20 walks.
“Yeah, he’s got a good arm,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s got a good arm. He’s gonna be at the back there if something goes wrong or for more depth or (as) a long guy or something like that.”
The numbers aren’t good, but Muñoz was on the 40-man roster, which means the Braves didn’t need to make an additional move to bring him up. He likely won’t have a prominent role with the club, but the Braves needed someone to take the roster spot left open when they optioned Michael Soroka on Monday.
You could call Muñoz an extra bullpen arm, as the Braves technically have only four starting pitchers. But that would be only semantics. On Tuesday, Snitker said Smith-Shawver will start on Friday or Saturday versus the Nationals.
In 2018, the Braves signed Muñoz out of the Dominican Republic. He pitched for Low-A Augusta in 2021. Last season, he started in High-A and eventually pitched in Double-A.
Muñoz began this season in Double-A, where he allowed three runs over four innings before the Braves promoted him to Gwinnett.
Luetge stays with Braves
The Braves outrighted Lucas Luetge to Gwinnett on Tuesday.
What this means: After the Braves designated him for assignment, they couldn’t find a trade for him, so they placed him on outright waivers. He went unclaimed and, thus, is back with the Braves.
This is positive news for the team.
“I’m glad we (kept him),” Snitker said. “For his sake, I was hoping somebody would take him. But getting him and giving him again the chance to go down and and then square himself up, could be good for him and us.”
Players with more than three years of major league service, such as Luetge, can reject outright assignments and elect free agency. Instead, he opted to remain with the Braves.
Luetge probably is better than what he’s shown to this point. Before the Braves designated him for assignment, he allowed 11 earned runs over 9-2/3 innings.
The lefty is good depth for the Braves. The club probably will need him again. There surely will be other injuries, meaning he likely will have another opportunity with the team.
Tonkin to begin rehab assignment
Michael Tonkin will begin a rehab assignment with the Gwinnett Stripers on Tuesday night in a home game against Charlotte.
Last month, the Braves placed Tonkin on the 15-day injured list with a strained neck. For the most part, Tonkin has pitched well for the Braves this season. But over his past three outings, he allowed nine runs – six earned – over 7-1/3 innings. He served up two homers in this stretch.
Still, he’ll be a nice boost to the Braves’ bullpen when he’s ready to return because he can eat innings at any point.
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