Braves DFA Infielder, Make Room for Jhancarlos Lara

The Atlanta Braves officially added prospect pitcher Jhancarlos Lara to the major league roster on Friday ahead of their three-game series with the Detroit Tigers. 

In a corresponding move, Dane Dunning was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett, and to make room on the active roster and infielder Jonathan Ornelas was designated for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster.

News of Lara getting his first call-up came on Thursday. He’s the Braves' No. 21 prospect in the system. He’ll get a chance to audition for the 2026 season while also providing depth to the bullpen. 

Lara is a prospect many remain high on despite the overall stats. He currently has a 6.53 ERA in 28 appearances, nine starts, with Triple-A Gwinnett.

He possesses a fastball and slider with high grades on his prospect report. On the 20-to-80 scale, his fastball is rated at a 55, which is considered above average, and his slider is rated a 60, which is considered plus stuff.

Command remains an issue, and that has been a sticking point since the beginning. He has a walk rate (8.12 per nine innings in Triple-A) and requires a high number of pitches to get through an inning (19.27 in Triple-A).

The hope will be that the command is good enough, combined with a velocity that gets into the upper-90s, to get the job done.

Dunning has been on the shuttle to and from Gwinnett a few times since he was acquired by the Braves in a trade with the Rangers back in July. 

In seven appearances this season, the long reliever has a 10.80 ERA in 10 innings pitched. He last pitched for the Braves on Wednesday, allowing an earned run in an inning pitched. Lara will help fill the innings gap.

Ornelas briefly saw action with the Braves in early August. He was the extra player for less than a full inning of the MLB Speedway Classic before being recalled officially later in the week. 

He played in two games for the Braves, going 2-for-4 with a run scored. 

The Braves series against the Tigers will be their final road series and interleague series of the year. First pitch of the series opener will be on Friday at 6:40 p.m. 

Bryce Elder will go toe-to-toe with former teammate Charlie Morton. It will be the second time that the Braves face Morton this season.

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