Braves rumors: Fried replacement, Former Yankee breaking through, quick stop for pitcher, more
- One pitcher made the briefest of stops in Atlanta
- A former Yankee acquired this offseason is on the roster
- If Max Fried doesn't get a Braves extension, replacements come with question marks
By Josh Wilson
Lucas Luetge selected by Braves
In a corresponding move to the DFA of Rodriguez, the Braves selected the contract of relief pitcher Lucas Luetge.
Luetge is another player who has been churned through the DFA and waiver process a few times this year at-will as the Braves have needed to fill in players at the end of the rotation. Luetge's struggles this season (8.49 ERA in 11.2 innings pitched) can be chalked up in part to his limited playing time at the pro level, because he posted a sub-3.00 ERA in 2021 and 2022 with 72.1 and 57.1 innings pitched those seasons, respectively.
Still, his performance in limited opportunities has not inspired confidence for Atlanta to keep him up at the pro level consistently.
Recent struggles could give Luetge more of an opportunity to get in the game this time around. After Atlanta has held opponents to a third-best-in MLB 3.81 in April through August, September so far has featured a 6.21 ERA.
Part of the factor is that Atlanta has its playoff berth wrapped up, so there is certainly less to play for now. But it's still not a great indicator of how things are going. Maybe Luetge can take advantage.