Braves Outright Veteran Reliever to Triple-A In Spring Training Cut

The Atlanta Braves have plucked a reliever from the 40-man roster as spring training winds down. They announced Thursday afternoon that right-hander Ian Hamilton has been outrighted to Triple-A Gwinnett.

There are now 41 active players in big league camp. The roster is slowly taking shape ahead of opening day.

Hamilton signed with the Braves in December to a non-guaranteed contract. It allowed him to be on the 40-man roster without the Braves having to commit to a certain salary. What they owed him was dependent on whether he made the opening day roster.

His fate after being outrighted is still unclear.

Per the rules of the collective bargaining agreement that is currently in effect, a player cut between the 16th day and the end of Spring Training is owed 45 days' termination pay (based on the prorated version of his agreed-upon salary).

He ultimately didn’t see much action with the Braves in spring training. He made two appearances that added up to 1 2/3 innings pitched. He allowed an earned run on three hits and two walks and struck out a single batter.

The veteran reliever has 125 major league games under his belt. Before joining the Braves system over the offseason, he spent the previous three seasons with the Yankees.

During his career, he has a 3.59 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP and 161 punch outs over 105 1/3 innings pitched.

With this move, the Braves have some flexibility to add others to the 40-man roster. Between Hamilton being outrighted and Jurickson Profar being suspended for testing positive for PEDs, there are two open spots on the 40-man roster for the taking.

This could be an opportunity for them to make external additions. It could also be an opportunity for them to add in-house options who are currently non-roster players.

What would make the most sense would be to add an extra bat and another pitcher. Replace one of each type of ballplayer who has been removed with another of the same type.

Two position players who are candidates to join the 40-man roster are Dominic Smith and Ben Gamel. Both are two batters who have looked good against right-handed hitters during spring training.

Meanwhile, a pitcher who is a strong candidate to join the 40-man roster is the No. 2 prospect in the system, JR Ritchie. In four appearances, he has a 2.25 ERA, a 0.58 WHIP and 14 strikeouts across 12 innings pitched.

The Braves have Thursday off, but resume action on Friday. They’ll host the Pirates in North Port for a night game. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m., and Bryce Elder is scheduled to start the game.

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