Braves add Daysbel Hernández, AJ Smith-Shawver to NLDS roster
The Braves made a couple of surprising roster moves for the National League Division Series, adding hard-throwing reliever Daysbel Hernandez and top prospect AJ Smith-Shawver ahead of Game 1 on Saturday against the Phillies.
The Braves decided not to use Kyle Wright, a 21-game winner a year ago who was slowed by injuries this season. The Braves put Wright, 28, on the 60-day injured list with a right shoulder strain Saturday.
Over the past three postseasons, Wright was 2-1 with a 3.93 ERA in five games (three starts). In last season's NLDS against the Phillies, Wright threw six scoreless two-hit innings in a game Atlanta eventually lost.
But this season was marred by injury and inconsistency, with Wright appearing in just nine games (seven starts), posting a 1-3 record with a 6.97 ERA in 31 innings.
The Braves also passed on 40-year-old reliever Jesse Chavez, who missed a good chunk of the season with a leg injury but posted a 1.56 ERA in 36 appearances.
Philadelphia made only one change from the 26-man roster it used for a two-game sweep of the Miami Marlins in the wild-card round. Right-hander Michael Lorenzen (9-9, 4.18 ERA) replaced infielder Weston Wilson to give the Phillies a 13th pitcher.
The addition of Hernández was the biggest shocker for the Braves. The 27-year-old Cuban reliever has made only four big league appearances, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks in 3⅔ innings.
But he was highly effective on a rapid rise through the minor leagues this season, posting a cumulative 2.19 ERA in 23 appearances with High-A Rome, Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett. Most notably, he had 36 strikeouts in 24⅔ innings.
Smith-Shawver is another fast climber, going from Class A to the big leagues in just his third professional season. The 20-year-old right-hander appeared in six games with five starts for the Braves, going 1-0 with a 4.26 ERA.
The Braves went with 12 pitchers and added infielder Vaughn Grissom as an extra position player.
Grissom, 22, came into spring training as the front-runner to start at shortstop but wound up spending most of the season in Triple-A, where he batted .330 with eight home runs and 61 RBIs.
In the other NL Division Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers left infielder Amed Rosario and reliever Ryan Yarbrough off their roster against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Four rookie pitchers made the Dodgers roster, including Bobby Miller, who will start Game 2 on Monday. He is joined by Michael Grove, Ryan Pepiot and Emmet Sheehan.
Information from The Associated Press and Reuters was used in this report.
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