BREAKING: Atlanta acquires RHP Yonny Chirinos off of waivers from Tampa Bay Rays

RHP Seth Elledge has been designated for assignment and Michael Soroka was optioned back to AAA Gwinnett

The Atlanta Braves have indeed acquired a pitcher, but not via a trade before the trade deadline, as we all expected. 

The Braves announced today they have claimed RHP Yonny Chirinos off of waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays.  

The #Braves today acquired RHP Yonny Chirinos off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays and designated RHP Seth Elledge for assignment. Additionally, the club optioned RHP Michael Soroka to Triple-A Gwinnett following today’s game.

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 23, 2023

Chirinos, 29 years-old, was originally a 2012 international free agent by Tampa Bay. He's missed most of the last three seasons as he's been recovering from Tommy John surgery. 

Used in a variety of roles for Tampa Bay this season, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports that Atlanta's looking at Chirinos as a starting option. He's 4-4 with a 4.02 ERA in his fifteen appearances for Tampa Bay this season, with four starts. 

He's played multiple roles for Tampa Bay out of the bullpen - starting four games, working as a bulk pitcher behind an opener, and been a long reliever, mopping up some blowouts. He's been a bit lucky on his peripherals this season - his ERA is 4.02, but his SIERA - an ERA calculation intended to neutralize the effects of luck - is 5.34. He's only struck out 11.8% of batters he's faced this season, and benefited from a below-average .244 BABIP. Tampa Bay designated him for assignment earlier last week. 

To make room on the 40-man roster, RHP Seth Elledge was designated for assignment. His contract was selected just a few days ago, but he did not appear in a game during his brief time on the major league roster. 

To make room on the 26-man roster, Michael Soroka was optioned back to AAA Gwinnett, insinuating that Chirinos will (at least temporarily) slot into Soroka's rotation spot. 

With his variety of usage for Tampa Bay, Atlanta's got options with how they use Chirinos. They can use him in a "piggyback" role to help manage someone's innings, use him as a traditional starter (which it appears will be the immediate usage for him), or use him out of the bullpen. 

He has one more year of team control after 2023, being arbitration eligible in 2024. 

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