Braves Place A.J. Minter Is Outright Joey Wendle, On The Injured List
Due to irritation in his left hip, left-hander A.J. Minter has been placed on the 15-day injured list by the Braves, as of Thursday morning. Jimmy Herget, a right-hander, has been brought up from Triple-A Gwinnett to fill Minter’s roster slot. Additionally, according to Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta transferred veteran infielder Joey Wendle to Gwinnett outright after he was passed through waivers unclaimed. Wendle will have 48 hours from the time of the outright assignment to decide whether to accept an outright assignment in lieu of free agency. He has nearly seven years of MLB service, which is far more than the five years required.
Over the previous seven plus seasons, Minter, 30, has been one of the Braves’ most reliable relievers. He has maintained an ERA of 3.78 or better each season, with the exception of an unusual 7.06 ERA in 29 1/3 innings during the juiced-ball season of 2019. He has pitched to an overall 3.32 mark through 335 2/3 MLB frames.
This season, Minter has performed admirably once more, sporting a 2.95 ERA, a walk rate of 7.2%, a strikeout rate of 27.7%, and a ground ball rate of 40.4%. Though it’s only a half-mile less than his average from a 2020 season in which he posted a 0.83 ERA in 21 2/3 innings, his career-low fastball velocity of 95.2 mph is nonetheless impressive. The left-hander is now making $6.215MM in salary and is expected to become a free agency at the end of the season in 2024.
The team hasn’t stated when Minter should return, but considering his history, his absence is noteworthy. With seven holds, Minter is only one behind Joe Jimenez (10) in terms of team lead. Pierce Johnson, a right-hander, may see more leverage work now that the left-hander is out for at least a few weeks. Additional late-inning opportunities could also be extended to fellow southpaws Dylan Lee and Tyler Matzek.
As for Wendle, his stay with the Braves organization could wind up proving excessively brief. The Mets released him earlier this month, and Wendle quickly latched on with Atlanta on a new big league deal. That deal was signed on May 24, but Wendle was designated just three days later — before Wendle even got into a game with the Braves.
Wendle is a versatile utility player who is well-known for his excellent glovework and generally solid bat-to-ball abilities. However, over the last three seasons, his offensive output has significantly decreased. In his 37 plate appearances as a Met earlier this year, he batted just.222/.243/.250. In 726 plate appearances dating back to the 2022 campaign, he had an abysmal.237/.273/.331 line (66 wRC+). Wendle will stay with the Braves as a depth option if he accepts the outright assignment, but he is free to look into chances with other teams if he so chooses.
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