Braves Outright Luke Williams

The Braves sent utility player Luke Williams through outright waivers, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Atlanta designated him for assignment last week when they added Danny Young to the roster to keep him out of minor league free agency this offseason.

Williams hasn’t technically elected free agency, according to the tracker, but it’s a formality that he’ll do so. He has played more than seven seasons in the minors and would hit the market as a minor league free agent either way. There’s a decent chance it’s a precursor to another non-roster contract with Atlanta, with whom Williams has spent the past three seasons.

The Braves kept the 30-year-old in the minors for virtually the entire season. He was on the big league roster for two days in April while Michael Harris II was on paternity leave. Williams hit just .218/.311/.367 across 363 plate appearances with Triple-A Gwinnett. He stole 37 bases in 40 tries, however, so the Braves added him to their Wild Card Series roster in case they needed a pinch-runner. The situation never came up against the Phillies, and Atlanta swapped him out for the five-game Division Series when they went from 11 to 13 pitchers.