The Braves announced they’ve selected reliever Lucas Luetge onto the 40-man roster. Since he’s out of minor league option years, he’ll need to be added to the MLB club before tomorrow’s game against the White Sox. To clear a spot on the 40-man, the Braves designated righty Roddery Muñoz for assignment.
Luetge returns a month after being outrighted off the roster. The veteran southpaw had only made nine appearances after heading over from the Yankees in an offseason trade. He allowed 11 runs in 9 2/3 innings around a month-long injured list stint before being put on waivers.
After going unclaimed, Luetge reported to Triple-A Gwinnett. Doing so allowed him to retain the $1.55MM salary to which he’d agreed in avoiding arbitration over the winter. In a matching 9 2/3 frames with Gwinnett, he’s allowed four runs (three earned) with a quality 8:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
That secured him another spot in the MLB bullpen. Luetge joins A.J. Minter as the only left-handers in the relief corps while Dylan Lee is on the injured list. While the soft-tossing veteran struggled in his early-season look in Atlanta, he posted a 2.71 ERA and struck out a quarter of opponents with New York between 2021-22.
Luetge’s outright assignment was long enough he won’t surpass the five-year service threshold this season as originally scheduled. He’ll be eligible for arbitration two more times before hitting the six-year mark, but that could prove a moot point. If Luetge doesn’t perform well down the stretch, he’ll be a non-tender candidate next winter anyhow.
Muñoz, 23, has yet to make his MLB debut. He was added to the 40-man roster last offseason and briefly appeared on the big league club in June. He didn’t get into a game. Muñoz has spent the majority of the season on optional assignment to Gwinnett. He has a 4.28 ERA through 27 1/3 innings as a multi-inning reliever. Muñoz’s 22% strikeout rate is only a little below average but he’s walking over 15% of batters faced.
The control woes push the 6’2″ hurler off the roster. Atlanta will have a week to trade him or put him on waivers. If another club acquires him, they could keep him in the minors for the foreseeable future. Muñoz is in his first of three option seasons.
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