The Atlanta Braves added a new pitcher to the mix.
The Atlanta Braves have spent nearly the entire season cycling through arms in their bullpen looking for whatever options they can find capable of handling innings.
The reasoning is simple, to not only see if they can find a diamond in the rough but also to keep their more valuable arms healthy for the postseason. It is a strategy the organization has employed consistently all year, and it has resulted in a constant flow of roster transactions as Atlanta searches for depth at the back of the bullpen.
They made one of those transactions during their current series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, claiming a pitcher from the Detroit Tigers. "The Braves today claimed RHP Ricky Vanasco off waivers from the Detroit Tigers and optioned him to Triple-A Gwinnett," the team wrote on X.
Vanasco arrives after being designated for assignment earlier in the week. Coincidentally, he was the roster casualty for the Tigers so they could sign Tyler Kinley, whom the Braves themselves had designated for assignment just days earlier.
Vanasco will also take over Kinley's spot on the 40-man roster, making this essentially a direct swap of fringe bullpen arms between the two organizations.
Vanasco has not pitched well this season for Detroit. The 27-year-old originally signed a minor-league deal before the Tigers called him up in May.
Through five appearances in MLB he allowed 11 earned runs in just 6 1/3 innings, collecting four strikeouts while issuing six walks and surrendering two home runs. The command issues were clearly too much for the Tigers to look past.
The Braves however likely made the move based on the larger sample size of what he has done in Triple-A, where he has posted a 2.53 ERA. He still does not have the sharpest command but has clearly limited run prevention considerably better at the minor-league level, which is what caught Atlanta's attention.
Vanasco does not have much big-league experience even beyond this year. He spent all of 2025 in the minor leagues, and in 2024 made just four appearances split between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tigers.
If he pitches for Atlanta it will mark his third MLB organization. He should be available whenever Atlanta needs a fresh arm in the bullpen, but he does not figure to be a contributor in October.
He will simply provide a championship-contending team with depth as they navigate the final stretch of the regular season and position themselves for a deep postseason run.
