Braves lose OF Sam Hilliard on waivers to Baltimore Orioles

Atlanta's making 40-man roster moves, and Baltimore swooped in to claim an outfielder

The Atlanta Braves announced some 40-man roster moves this afternoon, including the loss of OF Sam Hilliard off waivers after he was claimed by the Baltimore Orioles. 

The #Braves today outrighted RHP Ben Heller and INF Andrew Velazquez to Triple-A Gwinnett. Additionally, OF Sam Hilliard was claimed off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles.

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) November 1, 2023

Hilliard, 29, was an early-season backup outfielder for Atlanta. Playing in forty games, mostly in center and left field, he batted .236/.295/.431 with three homers and four stolen bases before a heel injury (and then a re-injury of that same heel) eventually ended his season. 

He was on the 60-day injured list, one of many Braves players that had to either be exposed to waivers or protected on the 40-man roster by the fifth day after the conclusion of the World Series. 

Atlanta Braves Have Some Difficult 40-man Roster Decisions to Make

Reliever Ben Heller and infielder Andrew Velazquez cleared waivers and were sent outright to AAA Gwinnett as part of Atlanta's efforts to solidify the 40-man roster ahead of next week's deadline. 

Heller, 32, pitched in nineteen games for Atlanta this season after a midseason to acquire him from the Tampa Bay Rays. Finishing with a 3.86 ERA in 18.2 innings pitched, Heller was frequently the last man on the 40-man roster, being DFA'd more than once this season when the team needed to make roster space. He pitched in fourteen games for AAA Gwinnett, putting up a 2-0 record and 2.16 ERA in his 16.2 innings. 

UPDATE: Heller has elected free agency rather than the assignment to AAA Gwinnett.

Velazquez, 29, was claimed off waivers by Atlanta in early September after he left the Los Angeles Angels. A frequent rotational player in LA, he batted .191/.242/.300 across 179 games in the Angels infield, but lost his playing time at shortstop with the promotion of top prospect Zach Neto. He's played second base and centerfield at times during his six year MLB career, and looks to stick in Gwinnett as MLB-caliber defensive depth should Atlanta suffer more infield injuries. 

With these moves, the 40-man roster is currently at 38 players. This count includes the pending free agents but does not count the eight players on the 60-day injured list that must be added back to the 40-man roster after the World Series.  

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