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Braves Acquire Danny Santana From Twins For Kevin Chapman

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The Braves and Twins have announced a swap that will send infielder/outfielder Danny Santana to Atlanta in exchange for lefty Kevin Chapman and cash considerations. Santana had been designated for assignment by Minnesota.

Atlanta will hope that Santana represents an upgrade for the team’s beleaguered bench. Lane Adams was optioned to open an active roster spot, while the club moved Micah Johnson to the 60-day DL to create 40-man space.

Santana, a 26-year-old switch-hitter, brings plenty of defensive versatility in the field and good speed on the bases. But he has struggled badly at the plate in recent years, posting a cumulative .225/.258/.310 batting line since the start of the 2015 season — with 131 strikeouts against just 19 walks. What remains tantalizing about him, however, was his debut campaign back in 2014, when he slashed .319/.353/.472 with seven home runs and twenty stolen bases.

Chapman has also shown both his talent and some limitations over the years. Across 55 total MLB frames, he owns a 4.09 ERA with 7.9 K/9 against 5.1 BB/9. He has shown bigger swing-and-miss potential at times in the upper minors, though. Since being claimed and outrighted by the Braves, Chapman has tamped down on the walks — a career-low 2.3 per nine — but has been touched for ten earned runs on 14 hits over 11 2/3 innings.

Braves Release Ryan Howard

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The Braves have released Ryan Howard, per a club announcement. He had joined the organization recently on a minor-league deal.

Howard, 37, headed to Triple-A after getting ready for the season. But he struggled through his first 42 plate appearances there, hitting just .184/.238/.263 with a single home run and 11 strikeouts.

Once named the National League’s Most Valuable Player, Howard’s strikeout issues and inability to hit lefties have steadily overtaken his power over recent years. Though he swatted 25 home runs in just 362 plate appearances last year in his final campaign with the Phillies, Howard managed only a .196 batting average and .257 on-base percentage on the season.

Braves Activate Mauricio Cabrera, Option Him To Triple-A

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  • Flamethrowing reliever Mauricio Cabrera was activated from the disabled list by the Braves yesterday, though he was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett. Cabrera was one of Atlanta’s best relievers in 2016 and is touted as a potential closer, though as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets, he’ll remain in Triple-A to continue to hone his control. The reasons for the Braves’ apparent concerns with his control aren’t hard to see; in six minor league innings this season (he was previously pitching on a rehab assignment), Cabrera has issued four walks, hit a batter, and thrown three wild pitches. That said, it shouldn’t be hard for Cabrera to force his way back into the mix in short order if he begins to locate his pitches more effectively. Josh Collmenter, Ian Krol and Eric O’Flaherty all have ERAs north of 5.50, and the Braves’ relief corps as a whole has pitched to a 4.99 ERA in 95 2/3 innings this year.

Red Sox Claim Chase d’Arnaud

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The Red Sox have claimed infielder Chase d’Arnaud off waivers from the Braves, per a club announcement. He had been designated for assignment and, evidently, placed on outright waivers by Atlanta.

To clear 40-man space, Boston bumped righty Carson Smith to the 60-day DL. He is still recovering from Tommy John surgery, and it wouldn’t seem as if the placement says much about any changes to his timeline to return.

The 30-year-old d’Arnaud represents a utility option for the Sox, who are struggling to cover with third baseman Pablo Sandoval on the DL and second bagger Dustin Pedroia also ailing. Over 262 career trips to the plate at the game’s highest level, d’Arnaud owns only a .245/.317/.335 batting line. Though he isn’t much with the bat, the right-handed hitter does have experience playing all over the field.

Braves Select Contract Of Jason Motte

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The Braves have selected the contract of righty Jason Motte, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports on Twitter. To open an active roster spot, catcher Anthony Recker was optioned back to Triple-A.

Motte, 34, joined the Braves on a minors deal after he was cut loose by the Rockies. He has impressed in five scoreless appearances at Triple-A, allowing just two hits and a walk while fanning six opposing hitters.

Braves Designate Chase d’Arnaud, Select Lane Adams

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The Braves have designated infielder Chase d’Arnaud for assignment, according to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). Atlanta has summoned outfielder Lane Adams from Triple-A to take the roster spot.

d’Arnaud, 30, has bounced around the league over his six seasons in the majors, but received his most extensive action yet last year with the Braves. Over 262 plate appearances, he slashed .245/.317/.335. While he had managed three hits and two walks in his ten trips to the plate thus far in 2016, the Braves evidently elected to go in another direction for the time being.

The 27-year-old Adams has seen the majors, but only briefly. He was off to a strong start at Triple-A, though, with a .333/.352/.588 slash line — but also 16 strikeouts against just a pair of walks — over his 54 plate appearances. He’ll join Emilio Bonifacio in the reserve outfield mix, though it’s also possible that the former could see more action in the infield with d’Arnaud’s departure from the roster.

Jason Motte Could Get Look In Braves' Bullpen Soon

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  • Earlier today, the Braves traded veteran reliever David Hernandez, who was with the team’s Triple-A affiliate, to the Angels in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution adds a bit of context, tweeting that while Hernandez posted solid numbers in Gwinnett, he did not impress the club to the extent that fellow veteran Jason Motte has to this point while pitching in Triple-A. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, meanwhile, tweets that Hernandez had a May 1 opt-out, so Atlanta decided to move him while it was still possible to get a marginal return. Notably, O’Brien suggests that Motte could soon get a look in Atlanta’s Major League ’pen.

Angels Acquire David Hernandez

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12:55pm: Hernandez is expected to be added directly to the Angels’ active roster, tweets SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo. There’s a vacant 40-man spot on the club’s roster already, so the Angels will only need to make a 25-man roster move to accommodate him.

12:19pm: The Angels announced on Monday that they’ve acquired right-hander David Hernandez from the Braves in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. Hernandez isn’t on the 40-man roster, but the veteran righty could conceivably join the Halos’ Major League club in the near future to add some depth to a relief corps that has lost Cam Bedrosian, Andrew Bailey, Huston Street and Mike Morin to injuries already in 2017.

[Related: Updated Los Angeles Angels Depth Chart]

Hernandez, 32 next month, spent the 2016 season with the Phillies, where he logged a 3.84 ERA with 9.9 K/9 against 4.0 BB/9 with a 37.3 percent ground-ball rate in 72 2/3 innings. While he opened the season as the closer in Philly last year, he quickly relinquished the role following an ugly start to the year. Hernandez rebounded to finish the year with useful numbers, and while his career 4.10 ERA isn’t necessarily impressive, he’s a relatively hard-thrower (average 94 mph fastball in 2016) that has punched out 9.1 hitters per nine innings pitched in parts of seven Major League seasons. Hernandez is off to a strong start to the season in Triple-A, where he’s yielded just one run on four hits and two walks with nine strikeouts in eight innings of work.

While Bedrosian’s injury seems likely to be rather short-term in nature, Street won’t return until at least June, and it’s not yet known how long Bailey will be out. With all of the injuries on the roster, the Halos currently have a patchwork bullpen consisting of Bud Norris, Yusmeiro Petit, Blake Parker, Brooks Pounders, Deolis Guerra and lefty Jose Alvarez.

Braves Interested In Luis Robert

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  • The Braves have interest in Robert, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. “Through the hard work of our international department, led by Gordon Blakely, we are in every game,” says GM John Coppolella. “We like Robert, and so do many other teams, so we will see where it goes.” O’Brien notes, though, that the Braves are “unlikely to get in a major bidding war” for Robert. The Braves were among the heaviest spenders in international free agency last season (nabbing top prospect Kevin Maitan and others), but can still make Robert whatever offer they like before mid-June, albeit with penalties for exceeding their bonus pool.

Tyler Flowers Dealing With Hamstring Strain

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  • Braves catcher Tyler Flowers is day-to-day with a strained hamstring he noticed during Sunday’s game, as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman notes. “We’re going to re-evaluate him tomorrow and see where we’re at. Hopefully it’s nothing real serious, because he’s swinging that bat real well,” says Braves manager Brian Snitker. The Braves will wait to decide whether to place Flowers on the DL. In Flowers is out for awhile, Kurt Suzuki will start and Anthony Recker will back him up. Both are already on the Braves’ active roster.
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