Braves Re-Sign Veteran Pitcher to MiLB Deal, See OF Elect Free Agency

The Atlanta Braves have kept a veteran arm in their system. According to their transaction page, they re-signed Carlos Carrasco to a minor league contract on Friday. He has been assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett.

Meanwhile, they wait to see if they can keep an outfielder in their system. José Azocar was outrighted to Triple-A, but he chose to elect free agency, the team announced.

Both of these were expected scenarios, even after Carrasco himself elected free agency. He allowed himself to see what options could be out there, and then, he made the move to stay with the Braves organization.

This marked the second time this season that Carrasco had been placed on waivers to be removed from the 40-man roster.

Carrasco has given the Braves two scoreless outings this season out of the bullpen, most recently in Monday night’s loss to the Seattle Mariners. Down in Triple-A, he's had a 1.71 ERA across four starts (21 innings pitched).

Azocar had a brief stint in the major leagues after Ronald Acuña Jr. went down with a hamstring injury. He appeared in two games and went hitless in two plate appearances. He came into Monday night's game as a pinch runner and stole a base.

In 27 games played down with Gwinnett, he's batting .270 with a .768 OPS, two home runs, 11 RBIs and eight stolen bases. Should the Braves re-sign him, which has a solid chance of happening, they'll maintain outfielder depth in their system.

The Braves head to Los Angeles for a road series against the Dodgers starting on Friday. Going up against the reigning back-to-back champions will provide a nice test and a solid statement coming off their first series loss of the season.

Chris Sale will be on the mound for a 10:10 p.m. EDT first pitch.

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