Braves add former top prospect to their AAA roster

A few weeks ago, the Braves picked up former top prospect Justus Sheffield after he was released by the Seattle Mariners. However, he hadn’t appeared on any of the minor-league rosters… until yesterday, when he was added to the Gwinnett Stripers.

Sheffield was a former first-round pick that built up a lot of value and hype as a prospect. The Mariners acquired him in the trade that sent James Paxton to the New York Yankees. He’s had some decent moments in the majors, most notably in 2020, when he posted a 3.58 ERA over 10 starts. He also recorded a 3.86 ERA last year over six appearances primarily out of the bullpen (1 start).

Sheffield fell out of favor in Seattle this season, though. He was taken off the 40-man roster during the offseason and some abysmal performances in AAA led to his eventual release, as he gave up 17 runs on 16 hits and 11 walks with just four strikeouts over 8.1 innings.

I’m not expecting much of anything from Sheffield, but he’s still only 27-years-old, and the Braves have had a ton of success with reclamation projects over the years. He’s worth monitoring down on the farm, and who knows, perhaps he makes an appearance sometime in the bigs. The Braves have had to utilize a laundry list of starting pitchers this season, and there are no signs that Max Fried or Kyle Wright are anywhere close to a return.