UPDATED: Braves place RP Nick Anderson on 60-day IL, claim OF Dalton Guthrie on waivers from Giants

Atlanta's set-up man for much of the season is out for a couple of months with a shoulder strain. Lucas Luetge will return to the big league roster in his place

Nick Anderson, picked up off the scrap heap shortly before opening day, has been a stalwart of the Braves' bullpen in 2023. While his production dipped slightly in June and July, the former Ray has pitched to a 3.06 ERA/3.11 FIP/3.73 xFIP line across 35 appearances this season, with much of that coming in high leverage seventh or eighth-inning action. And now the Braves will need to replace his production.

The #Braves today claimed OF Dalton Guthrie off waivers from the San Francisco Giants and optioned him to Triple-A Gwinnett.

To make room on the 40-man roster, Atlanta placed RHP Nick Anderson on the 60-day injured list, backdated to July 8th, with a right shoulder strain.

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 13, 2023

For his part, Dalton Guthrie is a 27-year-old right-handed outfielder who hit .167 in 23 games for the Phillies earlier this year. He'd been picked up by the Giants, but then they DFA'd him without him appearing for the big league club. He's the son of long-time major league reliever Mark Guthrie, and he'll go to Gwinnett and serve as more outfield depth for the Braves.

As for the bullpen, Kirby Yates, Ben Heller, and Joe Jiménez - who've all pitched well of late - will likely slide into Anderson's role, something that had sort of been happening already. And with Jesse Chavez and Dylan Lee still on the shelf, it's likely to further motivate Alex Anthopoulos to find some relief help on the trade market.

UPDATE - While Guthrie takes Anderson's 40-man roster spot, the team has announced the corresponding move for his active roster position will see lefty reliever Lucas Luetge return to Atlanta. He was DFA'd by the Braves in late May, but cleared waivers and stayed with the organization.

To open up a spot on the 40-man for him, Roddery Muñoz - one of the names I initially speculated might get called up - will himself be DFA'd. The DFA monster must feed.

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