ATLANTA — Former Houston Astros nearer Ken Giles and prime prospect Hurston Waldrep had been amongst 23 non-roster gamers invited to spring coaching Friday by the Atlanta Braves.
The six-time reigning NL East champion may have a complete of 60 gamers of their large league camp at North Port, Florida, together with 37 members of the 40-man roster.
Giles, 33, was signed to a minor league deal. He had 34 saves for Houston’s World Collection-winning group in 2017, notched 26 whereas splitting the next season between the Astros and Blue Jays, and added 23 saves for Toronto in 2019.
However Giles has been suffering from accidents since then, together with an elbow damage that required Tommy John surgical procedure. He had made solely 9 main league look over the previous 4 seasons, lacking all of 2021 and spending final season largely with the Dodgers’ Triple-A group.
Now, Giles is hoping to earn a spot with a group that already includes a deep bullpen led by nearer Raisel Iglesias.
Waldrep, the Braves’ first-round choose within the 2023 draft from the College of Florida, made a fast rise by means of the minor league system in his first professional season. He posted a 1.53 ERA in eight begins throughout Single-A, Excessive-A, Double-A and Triple-A, with 41 strikeouts in 29⅓ innings.
Waldrep, 21, might work his manner into the Atlanta rotation in some unspecified time in the future this season, although 2025 is taken into account extra doubtless as he appears to be like to enhance his command.
The Braves remaining non-roster invitees had been: LHP Ben Bowden, RHP Tommy Doyle, RHP Grant Holmes, LHP Hayden Harris, RHP Jake Walsh, RHP Taylor Widener, C Drake Baldwin, C Tyler Tolve, C Chadwick Tromp, C Sebastián Rivero, IF Ignacio Alvarez, IF Phillip Evans, IF David Fletcher, IF Leury García, IF Alejo López, IF Andrew Velazquez, IF Luke Waddell, IF Luke Williams, OF Luis Liberato, OF Jordan Luplow and OF Eli White.
