The Opener: Waivers, Astros, Phillies, Braves

As the 2024 regular season continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Last call for waiver activity:

Last night news broke that the Giants had placed infielder Thairo Estrada as well as lefties Taylor Rogers and Tyler Matzek on outright waivers, allowing any of the league’s other 29 clubs to claim any of them for no cost beyond the remainder of the player’s contract. The waiver process lasts for two days, meaning players put on waivers today figure to be claimed on August 31. That makes today the last day to waive players and have them still be eligible for the postseason with their new club, since players who join a new organization after the calendar flips to September are not eligible to participate in the postseason with their new club.

One year ago today, the Angels drew attention to the waiver process by putting a number of pending free agents on waivers, including key pieces like Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez they had just added at the trade deadline. Teams have put plenty of players through outright waivers so far this year in an attempt to offload their salary, with Drew Smyly of the Cubs, and Michael A. Taylor of the Pirates among the most recent examples. Will any other veterans on clubs unlikely to make the postseason hit the waiver wire today?

2. Astros 40-man move incoming:

The Astros recently signed veteran outfielder Jason Heyward to a big league deal following the Dodgers’ decision to part ways with the 35-year-old last week. Heyward, who has hit .208/.289/.393 with a wRC+ of 90 in 197 trips to the plate with L.A. this year, was squeezed off the roster by Mookie Betts’s return to right field after spending the first half on the infield and the club’s acquisition of Kevin Kiermaier just before the trade deadline last month. Now Heyward figures to join the Houston bench mix as a left-handed complement to Mauricio Dubon in left and Jake Meyers in right field.

Heyward reportedly took his physical with the club yesterday, and given the fact that the Astros have already announced that outfielder Chas McCormick was optioned to Triple-A last night it seems likely that the veteran will be active before today’s game against the Royals. The club will need to make room for Heyward on the 40-man roster before he can join the club, and without any clear candidates for the 60-day IL available that will likely mean designating a player for assignment.

3. Series Preview: Braves @ Phillies

With just over a month to go before the regular season comes to a close, the top two teams in the NL East are set to meet for a four-game set in Philadelphia that will be their last head-to-head matchup of the year barring a clash in the playoffs. The Braves took two of three from the Phillies in their meeting last week and have posted a 6-1 record since then, allowing them to gain significant ground in the division. They now sit just five games back in the NL East, meaning that a sweep of their top rival would put them just one game back from claiming their seventh consecutive division crown.

Meanwhile, a poor showing from Atlanta could put them on the back foot in the Wild Card race, with the Mets and Cubs both still lurking on the periphery of the postseason picture. A strong performance from the Phillies, on the other hand, could put them in the drivers’ seat for a bye through the Wild Card series in a tight race for the top two NL seeds between themselves, the Dodgers, and the Brewers. The series will kick off at 6:40pm local time this evening with veteran righty Charlie Morton (4.24 ERA) taking on young southpaw Cristopher Sanchez (3.51 ERA), and later games in the series will pit Reynaldo Lopez (2.02 ERA) against Ranger Suarez (2.82 ERA), Max Fried (3.50 ERA) versus Zack Wheeler (2.74 ERA), and Spencer Schwellenbach (3.72 ERA) against Aaron Nola (3.30 ERA).