Braves Call Up Prospect Pitcher, Option Another Back to Triple-A

The Atlanta Braves made another move to freshen up the bullpen. They announced on Tuesday morning that they called up left-hander Hayden Harris from Triple-A and optioned right-hander Rolddy Muñoz.

This move wasn’t completely unexpected. Manager Walt Weiss indicated that a move could be coming following the 10-4 loss to the Marlins on Monday.

“Yeah, I mean, we did the same with Dylan [Dodd],” he said. “You know, there’s a spot that we can churn there, and we’ll try to keep reloading.”

One prospect arm comes up to swap spots with another. Harris will get his second call-up to the major leagues. He first saw major league action in September last season, coming up virtually alongside Muñoz.

Over the last three days, the Braves have designated Martín Pérez for assignment, recalled and optioned Dodd, recalled and optioned Muñoz and now have Harris in the bullpen.

The prospect lefty put himself on the map last season with a dominant run that spanned across Double-A and Triple-A. In 43 total appearances, he had a 0.52 ERA, a 0.75 WHIP and 79 strikeouts in 52 innings pitched.

This performance earned him a spot in the All-Star Futures Game last season. He and right-hander JR Ritchie represented the Braves in Atlanta when they hosted All-Star festivities for the first time since 2000.

He brings to the table a sidearm delivery and a three-pitch arsenal. The four-seam fastball gets the heaviest usage, but he mixes in a sweeper and a splitter.

Harris said that a key focus this season would be to further refine those second and third pitches. It will be key to success at the next level.

"Big leaguers aren't going to be beat by heaters," he said at Gwinnett's media day. "So, working on the secondary stuff. Working on longer outings, whatever I can do to help the team win."

The overall numbers aren’t standing out as well this season with Gwinnett. He’s allowed three earned runs across 5 2/3 innings along with six walks and a hit batter. However, all three runs and four of those walks allowed came in one game back on April 1. Since then, he’s pitched four scoreless innings across three outings.

So, while the stat line could sound an alarm, it’s a little better when you look game-by-game.

During his major league stint last season, he allowed an earned run on three hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings pitched. He was part of the Braves' big league camp in spring training, seeing action for the third straight year in the Grapefruit League. He allowed an earned run over five appearances and posted a 1.20 WHIP.

Add us as a preferred source on Google