Dodgers Minor Leaguer Poached By National League Contender

Moves are being made on the off day.

An under the radar move was announced by the Dodgers on Monday's off day. Infielder Luke Williams was claimed on waivers by the Atlanta Braves. J.P. Hoornstra was among those to report the move on Twitter.

The Dodgers say they've lost Luke Williams on a waiver claim to Atlanta.

— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) June 5, 2023

There's no update on the how or why it happened, but presumably, the Dodgers attempted passing him through waivers to clear a spot on the 40 man roster but the Braves swooped in.

Williams got into 4 games with LA earlier this season, collecting 1 hit in 10 at-bats. In parts of 3 seasons at the MLB level, the 26-year-old has a .234/.291/.306 triple slash line with 2 home runs and 12 runs batted in.

He was solid at Triple-A Oklahoma City this season, slashing .268/.364/.452 with 6 homers and 29 RBI in 42 games.

Why Would the Dodgers Try to Pass Him Through Waivers?

If the Dodgers were attempting to clear a spot on the 40 man roster, it could be for any number of reasons. But given the state of the pitching staff, and where some injured pitchers are at on the 60 day injured list, they would need to start freeing up some space for a potential activation for someone like RHP Daniel Hudson, if and when he gets healthy enough to come off the IL. 

There are also guys down at Double-A that have excelled (Landon Knack or Texas League Pitcher of the Month Emmet Sheehan for example)  and could get called up in a pinch. Additionally, RHP Matt Andreise is coming off a great month at AAA and is an option to join the Dodgers the next time they need a pitcher.