The Atlanta Braves assign their recently DFA’d infielder to Triple-A Gwinnett, where he’s played 20 games this season.
After being designated for assignment on Thursday, the Atlanta Braves announced they outrighted infielder Luke Williams to Triple-A Gwinnett. Based on the announcement, he has accepted the assignment instead of electing free agency.
This move keeps infield depth in the system. Williams has been called upon before, and there is a chance they could select him again.
For now, the infield has it’s options, and he’s the odd man out. Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Ha-Seong Kim and Nacho Alvarez Jr. have the infield on lock going forward. Nick Allen, Vidal Bruján and, technically, Eli White, are all depth options who have started games as well this season.
Allen lost the starting job to Kim earlier this week as the Braves look to bolster the offense where they can. However, his glove is still highly valued by the team, with manager Brian Snitker saying that he would play Allen anywhere in the infield other than first base.
It’s not that Allen can’t, it’s just that Olson plays every game – he’s got to keep that iron man streak going – and he rarely doesn’t play all nine innings. He has exited a game early twice all year. One of the times he was taken out, coincidentally, was when Williams pinch ran for him in the bottom of the ninth.
Williams has played in 44 games for the Braves this season. In 33 plate appearances, he batted .133 with a .382 OPS with no home runs and five RBIs. His numbers in Triple-A are similar this season, but he’s been stronger with Gwinnett in the past.
Last season, he batted .282 with an .839 OPS, nine home runs and 40 RBIs in 55 games.
However, he recently stood out for his ability to step in when a position player needed to pitch. He took the mound six times for the Braves this season. He allowed two runs over six innings of work, with both runs coming in the same outing on June 27.
Five of his outings have been scoreless this season, with his last four trips to the mound being scoreless. He also posted a respectable strikeout-to-walk ratio of 4.0, striking out four batters to just one walk allowed. The low walk rate allowed him to post a WHIP of 1.17.
The Braves look to take their series against the Seattle Mariners when action resumes on Saturday. First pitch is set for 7:15 p.m.
