Ahead of Opening Day on Thursday against the Phillies, the Braves made one final tweak to their roster, optioning Jackson Stephens to Gwinnett in favor of Jesse Chavez.
Jackson Stephens has been outrighted to Gwinnett. This was the expected move to create a spot for Jesse Chavez.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) March 26, 2024
Stephens is quality organizational depth, and there’s a fantastic chance we see him again soon, but sometimes an opportunity arises that you can’t pass up. In this case, that was Jesse Chavez becoming available again.
Chavez has been a revelation in the latter years of his career for the Braves. He was pivotal to the team’s World Series run in 2021 but was not re-signed, only for the Braves to trade back for him after Chavez struggled early in the season with the Cubs.
Once again, Chavez was brilliant with the Braves, but it wasn’t enough. The Braves dealt him at the trade deadline in the deal that brought them Raisel Iglesias; however, Chavez would return later in the season after the Angels designated him for assignment.
This time, the Braves decided to hold onto Chavez entering the 2023 season, and he turned in the best year of his career, posting a 1.56 ERA over 36 appearances. It might have been enough to earn him his first All-Star bid, but unfortunately, his season ended prematurely after fracturing his shin on a line drive off the bat of Miguel Cabrera.
Now, Jesse Chavez is back for a fifth stint with the Atlanta Braves, right where he belongs, on the Opening Day roster.
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Photo: Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire
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